Small business loans - Banks must do more

While bankers squabble, companies go to the wall.

That’s the reality of the controversy surrounding Ireland’s status as having the second lowest approval level for small business loan applications in the eurozone — just ahead of Greece.

If this dubious distinction was solely from ISME, the group representing small to medium enterprises, the banks might be forgiven for issuing a downright denial. But the fact that the finding is in a report from the Central Bank shows the issue in a new and glaring light.