Any of your SMEs going for and getting bank finance?

One of my clients was contacted by their new "customer relationship manager" and they popped along to meet him, which was a result as they hadn't realised there had been 2 before him who had never "related".

The business is now 3 times the size it was when it was setup 5 years ago and they have struggled with the £XXK overdraft facility agreed at the time because, even though profitable, the peaks & troughs of cashflow are now so much wider.  The manager understood but could do nothing, wouldn't hear of upping the facility and when longer term finance was mentioned for planned expansion, he just talked about the problems & risks and then said that he could probably get a £50K loan agreed but only if the client could put up £50K themselves....Duh!

My client made the comment I have oft quoted over recent years, what are banks there for?

There's mention today of how the banks are falling behind their promise to provide finance http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13494103 and, as always, they quote low demand as being the reason why they are not pushing more money out there but, in the case of my clients, the bank is the last place they will look to get finance, you can only be turned down so many times.

Any others with similar experience?