• Up to £5m facility: The maximum value of a facility provided under the scheme is £5m, available on repayment terms of up to six years.
• No guarantee fee for SMEs to access the scheme: No fee for smaller businesses.
• Interest and fees paid by Government for 12 months: The Government will make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees*, so smaller businesses will benefit from no upfront costs and lower initial repayments**.
• Finance terms: Finance terms are up to six years for term loans and asset finance facilities. For overdrafts and invoice finance facilities, terms will be up to three years.
• Guarantee to the lender: The scheme provides the lender with a government-backed, guarantee against the outstanding facility balance. The borrower always remains 100% liable for the debt.
• Principal Private Residence (PPR) – A borrowers/guarantors PPR cannot be taken as security to support a Personal Guarantee or as security for a CBILS-backed facility.
• The borrower always remains 100% liable for the debt.

Additional notes on security:

• No personal guarantees for facilities under £250k: Personal guarantees of any form cannot be taken under the scheme for any facilities below £250k.
• Personal guarantees for facilities above £250k: Personal guarantees may still be required, at a lender’s discretion, but recoveries under these are capped at a maximum of 20% of the outstanding balance of the CBILS facility after the proceeds of business assets have been applied. A Principal Private Residence (PPR) cannot be taken as security to support a personal guarantee or as security for a CBIL backed facility.
• Security: For all facilities, including those over £250,000, CBILS can now support lending to smaller businesses even where a lender considers there to be sufficient security, making more smaller businesses eligible to receive the business interruption payment***.

*Following earlier discussions with the banking industry, some lenders indicated that they would not charge arrangement fees or early repayment charges to SMEs borrowing under the scheme. HM Government greatly appreciates this approach by lenders.

**Fishery, aquaculture and agriculture businesses may not qualify for the full interest and fee payment.

***Please note that where there is sufficient security available, it is likely that the lender will take such security in support of a CBILS facility

Smaller businesses from all sectors can apply for the full amount of the facility. To be eligible for a facility under CBILS, a smaller business must:

• Be UK based in its business activity, with turnover of no more than £45m per year.
• Have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender.
• Self-certify that it has been adversely impacted by the Coronavirus.

Please note: The following are not eligible under CBILS:

• Banks, Insurers and Reinsurers (but not insurance brokers);
• public sector bodies and;
• state funded primary and secondary schools.

• New Hire Purchase
• Sale and Hire Purchase Back / Refinance
• Unregulated products only

You can find out more information on the British Business Bank SME FAQs page below; regularly reviewed and updated, with a wide range of in-depth information about the scheme.