Four new lenders have been accredited to offer loans to small businesses under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme, the Government announced today.

The EFG gives vital funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that lack the collateral or credit history to secure a normal bank loan.

The four new accredited lenders are:

Just over a year after the launch of the British Bankers' Associations' (BBA's) Business Finance Taskforce, new research suggests that it has not yet achieved its aim of repairing the relationship between banks and small businesses.

Taking your business down the insolvency route should always be a last resort. Frances Coulson (pictured right), President of the insolvency trade body R3, has shared her top ten tips on how your business can avoid insolvency.

Two years after the Small Business Act entered into force the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has identified a number of measures that need to be taken by the EU and national policy makers if the SBA is going to have any teeth.

The standard deadline for paying bills will be 30 days under a deal with the Council endorsed by EU Parliament in plenary session on Wednesday.

The new rules should ensure that small firms no longer face financial problems due to the late payment of bills by public authorities or companies and bolster solvency, innovation and jobs.

Barclays Bank has said it will not sign up to any government plan to impose targets for lending to small businesses.

Steve Cooper, head of Barclays' small business division told the Financial Times: "I'm not going to sign up to a target. I don't want to create an expectation that if Barclays said no yesterday it could say yes tomorrow (because it has a target to achieve)."