BERLIN (MNI) – Small and medium-sized enterprises in the Eurozone
have increasing problems getting bank loans, according to a survey by
the European Central Bank released Friday.
The survey showed that Eurozone SMEs’ external financing needs
increased between October and March. At the same time, access to bank
loans continued to deteriorate.
On balance, firms reported less availability of bank loans (20%
compared to 14% in the previous survey). Moreover, the survey results
point to somewhat higher rejection rates when applying for a loan (13%
versus 10%). The percentage of respondents reporting access to financing
as their main problem remained broadly unchanged (17% versus 16%).
The survey, conducted between February 29 and March 29, covered a
sample of 7,511 firms.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
[TOPICS: M$X$$$,MGX$$$,M$$CR$,M$$EC$]
