Small business boss slams banks

The head of the small business association has launched a stinging attack on the banking sector, saying banks have become irritating pushers of investment products rather than partners, Nos television reports.

Hans Biesheuvel, chairman of MKB Nederland, was speaking at a meeting on small business finance, where the banks came under fire for refusing to lend money to smaller firms.
‘The bank used to be a partner and a friend, but now the banker has gone commercial. He is an irritating man who tries to sell you anything, from investment products to a lease car, but has no money left for your company,’ Biesheuvel said.
Entrepreneurs find themselves confronted by accountants with a list, Biesheuvel said. ‘They use a bit of technical language and then say ‘I have gone through the checklist and you don’t qualify for a loan’,’ he said.
Paul Dirken, director of the small firm unit at Rabobank, said he understood the emotion but did not agree with the picture being painted.
‘We have indeed got tougher since 2008,’ he told the meeting. ‘Perhaps up to that point we were not tough enough. But we do not deliberately stop funding entrepreneurs with good plans.’