Close Brothers
Heritage merchant banking group trading since 1878, FTSE-listed via Close Brothers Group plc. The commercial division covers asset finance, invoice finance and broader commercial lending. Broker-distributed; relationship-led underwriting for established UK SMEs and corporates.
Quick routing verdict
- Product: Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial loans.
- Ticket band: £25k to £25m+.
- Decision time: 5 to 14 business days.
- Pricing: Bespoke, quoted at offer.
- FCA-authorised.
At a glance
- Legal entity
- Close Brothers Limited
- Companies House
- 00195626
- Founded
- 1878
- Product
- Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial loans
- Ticket range
- £25k to £25m+
- Decision time
- 5 to 14 business days
- Ltd-only
- Lender accepts other structures, FundBiz routing is Ltd-only
- Last reviewed
- 2026-05-08
Why we route here
- Genuine UK merchant bank with 145+ years of trading history.
- Multiple product lines under one underwriter (asset, invoice, commercial loans).
- Strong sector specialisms in print, transport, manufacturing and motor trade.
- PRA-regulated; FSCS deposit protection on linked savings products.
When we route elsewhere
- Broker-distributed, not self-serve.
- Headline rates not published; quoted at offer.
- Slower than fintech alternatives.
- Engagement below £25k unlikely outside existing relationships.
Best fit applicants
- Established SMEs needing asset or invoice finance
- Print, transport, manufacturing, motor trade
- Broker-introduced deals
Where Close Brothers is the wrong fit
- Self-serve sub-£25k
- Sole traders without asset security
- Speed-prioritised cases
If declined by Close Brothers
If your application to Close Brothers is declined, the FundBiz post-decline matcher routes by decline reason. Common alternatives in our panel are listed in the "When we route elsewhere" section above. See also our Close Brothers decline runbook for sector-specific routing detail.
Other panel lenders
- 365 Business Finance, Merchant cash advance
- Aldermore, Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages
- Allica Bank, SME term loan + commercial mortgage
- Bizcap, Specialist post-decline / fast cash
How we rate Close Brothers
This review is FundBiz's own editorial assessment, scored against a published framework. See our methodology for how we rate each lender.
Run the matcher
Tell us your turnover, sector and ticket size. We score against Close Brothers and the wider FundBiz panel, then surface the lenders most likely to approve. Limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+ only.
Open matcher →Last reviewed: 2026-05-08. By Oliver Mackman.