As stories circulate of industry fat cats stashing bonuses; branch staff counting the days until closure, and even our most established banking giants toppling around our ears, during this time of economical turmoil, is anyone safe? Can the SMEs survive where the mightiest of the mighty cannot?

Many bridging loan companies have reported a surge in the number of small and medium sized businesses applying for short term bridging loans. When your annual turnover runs to the thousands rather than the millions, one late or delayed payment can put the whole company in jeopardy, and smaller companies are often not prepared to risk business relationships by chasing after payments.

Industry specialists have suggested that more and more SMEs will be forced out of business if existing cash flow problems are exacerbated by larger companies changing the terms of the contracts. Add to this the fact that consumers are increasingly spend-shy, and the ringing of tills is all but a distant memory. A sad sign of the times may be that the local neighbourhood business manager will be the newest casualty of the financial war we all face.