UK business finance specialist

A generalist lender reads your SIC code before it reads your accounts. We read the business first.

Established Finance is a UK business finance specialist for small and medium-sized businesses, B2B-led with room for selected B2C and other trading companies. We work with established operations that have specialist funding requirements, often in a complex or misunderstood sector a generalist scorecard reads wrong. Once that's clear, the right facility usually follows.

Tell us what's happening See where your business fits

Founded by Adam ParkerFormer MD of Penny, an invoice finance business · Muswell Rose Consulting Ltd, introducer, not a lender

A calm, well-appointed business reception — the settled, established feel Established Finance's clients recognise

Where is your business today?

Situations we see most often

01 Winning new work You’ve won a contract or a big order, but the cost of delivering it starts well before you can raise your first invoice. 02 Funding operations Payroll, suppliers and day-to-day costs don’t wait for customers to pay on their usual 30 to 90 day terms. 03 Releasing working capital Cash is sitting in invoices you’ve already sent. You don’t need a loan. You need it released faster. 04 Your finance no longer fits You already have finance in place, but it’s got too tight: the limit is too low, the lender’s conditions are holding you back, or they won’t agree to anything new. 05 Supporting growth The business has outgrown what a standard facility, or a standard card, was ever sized for. A capacity problem, not a timing one 06 Financing an acquisition Buying another business, a book of clients, or a competitor’s assets. Structures vary too much for a generic page. A direct conversation

Or, view finance by sector Generalist lenders see a “risky” SIC code or an unusual business model, not the reality of the business. See finance built around your sector specifically, across 16 sectors. Browse sectors

Not sure which of these is actually yours? Try the facility eligibility checker, a few quick questions, nothing saved.

Cash is stuck, and the invoice exists

The invoice exists. Nobody will fund it.Raised, valid, owed, and still not fundable: disputes, retentions, uncertified applications, contra, foreign debtors and concentration.

A lender or security is in the way

Your existing lender has refused consentWhich clause the refusal rests on, the usual reasons behind it, and the routes that are still open. The second charge won't go onWhere it is actually stuck: consent restrictions, negative pledges, a refused deed of priority, no headroom or a missed registration window. More than one lender holds securityWhat has to happen before a new facility can replace or sit alongside what is there. You have breached a covenant, or are about toWhat the lender can do, why the test date matters, what a waiver costs and when refinancing is realistic. Your annual facility review is comingWhat gets tested, how covenant headroom is read, and why the preparation window matters. You already have a facilityHeadroom under the covenant, releasing security, which group company should borrow, and whether it is worth moving. A missed Companies House verificationA legal problem first, which can become a lender problem: the deadlines and what to check in your facility agreement.

Or check it yourself, with no form

Facility eligibility checker: a few questions that point to the facilities your situation suggests.
Borrowing base calculator: what an asset-based facility could support from eligible assets.
Facility switch cost estimator and company size checker.
Facility review pack checklist for an annual bank review.
Data downloads and how everything is checked.
All our tools in one list: facilities, company charges, R&D tax relief and data.

Your own R&D claim has a problem? Start with R&D tax relief.

How we approach it

How we work through it

Describe the situation

Not the product you think you need. What’s actually happening in the business, in your own words.

We read past the classification

A SIC code or a scorecard sees a category. We read the accounts and the actual trading pattern.

We work out which structure fits

The right facility follows from the shape of the gap: recurring or one-off, invoiced or not yet, secured or not.

Introduction, no obligation

Where we can help, we may introduce you to a provider. Not a lead sold to whoever bids for it.

Why generalist lenders get this wrong

Classification runs before judgement

The mechanism

Automated lending decisions run on classification before they run on judgement. If your SIC code is broad, or "not elsewhere classified", the model has nothing to work with and defaults to caution. It's not a comment on the business. It's a gap in how the business is described on paper.

Who this hits hardest

Often the businesses with the most straightforward finances once someone actually looks: freight forwarders whose turnover includes pass-through duty, online retailers offered nothing but merchant cash advance, insurance brokers whose main asset is a commission book a generic model can't value.

The mistake to avoid

Assuming a decline was about risk when it was actually about a classification code doing the underwriting instead of a person. The fix isn't a better application. It's a lender who reads past the code.

Most businesses come to us already knowing the facility name they want (invoice finance, a credit line, a card), and it's usually close but not quite right. The name isn't really the useful starting point. The shape of the gap is. Is it recurring or one-off? Is there an invoice to advance against yet? Is there existing security in the way? Two businesses asking for "invoice finance" can need completely different things once you ask that.

One thing we've noticed

Talk it through

Need another perspective?

Most businesses arrive already knowing the facility name they want. The more valuable question is whether it's actually the right structure, not just the closest-sounding label. We'll review the situation before suggesting possible routes.

The decision, laid out

Situation, facility, alternative, and when to just talk to us

Your situationUsually fitsCommon alternativeTalk to us directly when

Winning new work→ Credit lines→ A straightforward business loan→ The gap is recurring, not one-off

Releasing working capital→ Invoice finance→ A credit line→ You have real invoices to advance against

Restrictive facility→ Debenture review→ A subordinated second facility→ Existing lender won’t consent

Sector-specific challenge→ Industry guidance→ A generic facility page→ Your SIC code doesn’t reflect the business

Adam Parker

Compiles the facility data on this site · in mortgages, commercial finance and fintech lending since 2010 (career history), including Commercial Director at SME Loans and Managing Director of Penny, an invoice finance business.

Most of what I do here is make sure the facility fits the situation, not the other way round.

Established Finance is a trading name of Muswell Rose Consulting Ltd (Companies House 15269776). We are an introducer, not a lender, and may introduce cases that need more specialist handling to a specialist provider.

Last updated: 3 November 2026

BoE base rate

4%raised at the 5 Nov 2026 MPC decision · Bank of England

SIC classification gap

762,111live UK companies with a "not elsewhere classified" first SIC code, 13.4% of the register · Companies House data to end of August 2026, see our tracker

Size threshold estimate

~113,000the government's estimate, made before the Apr 2025 threshold rise, of companies and LLPs "moving from the small to micro-entity category" · Explanatory Memorandum, SI 2024/1303

Practical questions

Before you get in touch

Does it cost anything?

No. There's no charge to describe your situation and get an indicative answer.

What happens after I contact you?

We read your situation, work out what’s likely to fit, and may introduce you to a provider if it’s something we can help with.

How long does it take?

It varies by facility. Some drawdowns against an existing facility complete within a day or two; arranging something new from scratch usually takes longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we understand your situation.

What information do I need?

To start, just a description of what’s actually happening in the business.

Are you a lender?

No. Established Finance is a trading name of Muswell Rose Consulting Ltd, an introducer. Where a case needs more specialist handling, we may introduce you to a specialist provider.

What if I don't know which facility I need?

That's normal. Describe the situation, not the product, and we'll work out what fits.

Am I under any obligation?

No, at any stage. An indicative answer, and even a full introduction, don’t commit you to anything.

Tell us what's actually happening in the business. We'll tell you whether it's something we can help with.

Tell us what's happening