County Finance Group review: practice finance and asset finance

County Finance Group is an independent lender with a strong following among professional practices: accountants, solicitors, dentists, doctors and vets who need to spread tax bills, VAT, insurance premiums or investment in the practice. It also runs an asset finance division for equipment and vehicles. County Finance Group is one of the lenders on our panel, and as an independent broker we can compare it with other practice and asset lenders before you decide.

01About County Finance Group

County was established in 1995 and has stayed independently owned for more than three decades. Its lending company is County Asset Finance Ltd, registered in England and Wales. The firm makes a point of lending its own capital and of not running call centres, so customers deal with experienced staff and decision makers directly.

It describes its approach as case by case rather than tick box, and says it will consider businesses with imperfect credit histories. That flexibility is the main reason businesses choose a specialist like County over a high street bank.

Smart Funding Solutions is an independent broker and is not part of County Finance Group.

02What County Finance Group funds

Practice finance

County's practice finance is designed around the cash flow peaks that professional firms know well. Its main products are:

County says decisions on these loans are usually made within 24 hours and that no business plan is needed. Its practice finance pages list accountants, solicitors, doctors, vets and dentists as the practices it serves.

Asset finance

The asset finance division offers hire purchase, finance leases and refinance to release cash from equipment you already own. It funds plant and machinery, engineering tools, forestry equipment, printing presses and vehicles, as well as software and IT systems. Its main focus is industrial and manufacturing businesses, alongside professional practices, and it lends to UK businesses of varying sizes on fixed monthly repayments.

03Who County Finance Group suits (and who it may not)

County is a natural fit for an established partnership, LLP or practice company that wants to spread a large tax or PII bill, fund a partner buy in, refit a surgery, or buy equipment, and that values speaking directly to the lender. Its willingness to look past imperfect credit can also help practices and SMEs that have had a difficult year.

It may be less suitable if you need a very large loan, property backed lending, or funding for a business outside the professions and its industrial asset finance focus. Start ups and very new practices may also find more choice elsewhere.

County's practice finance is designed around the cash flow peaks that professional firms know well.

04What County Finance Group looks at

Typical information a practice or asset lender like County will ask for includes:

• Recent accounts and, for practices, details of fee income and partners or directors.
• Business bank statements showing the repayments are affordable.
• The tax computation, VAT return or insurance renewal notice you want to fund.
• For asset finance, a supplier quote or invoice and details of the asset.
• Credit searches and, in many cases, personal guarantees from partners or directors.

This is a general guide for these products rather than County's published checklist.

05Pros and cons

Pros

• Independent lender using its own capital, with direct access to decision makers.
• Products built specifically for professional practice cash flow, including VAT, tax and PII.
• Decisions usually within 24 hours and no business plan needed for practice loans.
• Considers imperfect credit histories case by case.

Cons

• Unsecured practice loans top out at around £200,000.
• Narrower sector focus than generalist lenders.
• Personal guarantees are commonly part of this type of lending.

06Applying through a broker vs going direct

County is happy to deal with practices directly, but practices rarely have only one option. We compare specialist professional practice finance lenders, including those that fund practice tax bills, solicitors' PII and VAT loans, and present your case once. For equipment, we can put County alongside wider asset finance lenders.

It is free to enquire; any broker fee is disclosed separately before you proceed. Try Instant Quotes to compare lenders in minutes.

07Alternatives to County Finance Group

• Braemar Finance: a Close Brothers division that also specialises in lending to dental, veterinary, accountancy and legal practices.
• Premium Credit: worth comparing when the main need is spreading an insurance premium.
• Close Brothers: a larger asset lender for bigger or more complex equipment deals.