Jason Berry shares why commercial finance brokers must focus on borrower needs, structure and packaging as clients navigate a more complex lending market.
Atom bank’s quarterly poll of commercial brokers found almost 80% ranked criteria flexibility as their top priority for the year ahead.
Over half of brokers (55%) called for a higher credit appetite, a jump from 13% previously.
Research from Asset Advantage found that over a quarter (28%) of brokers said they were pessimistic, while 23% said they felt optimistic.
The survey from Asset Advantage revealed that 46% of brokers are optimistic, while 43% said they are neutral and only 11% feel pessimistic about the year ahead.
Atom bank’s latest SME Pulse shows businesses delaying investment decisions amid uncertainty over possible tax changes.
A third of brokers (33%) said they struggled to get appetite from lenders for business acquisitions, the same as last year.
The latest Atom bank SME Pulse, covering Q2 2025, revealed a 7% drop in the proportion of respondents who had seen an increase in appetite from their commercial clients.