UK firms await government help after US bank collapse (2024)

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UK firms await government help after US bank collapse (1)Image source, Getty Images

By Daniel Thomas

Business reporter, BBC News

UK tech firms are anxiously waiting to find out what government support they will get after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in the US.

Some have told the BBC they could go bust if help does not come soon enough.

The Treasury says it is working to find a solution. An investment group has also offered to buy the bank's UK arm.

It comes as US customers have already been told their deposits will be fully protected by the US government, putting pressure on the UK government to act.

Speaking to reporters in San Diego on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "We will have something to say very shortly.

"But we will continue to support our world-beating technology sector and all the high-skilled jobs that it supports and also you should be reassured that our overall financial system is sound and there's nothing to worry about there."

Earlier, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told the BBC there was no risk to the UK's financial system from the collapse of SVB, but "there is a serious risk to some of our most promising companies in technology and life sciences".

He said he had been working with the prime minister and Bank of England governor "through the weekend to come up with a solution", and the government would bring forward a plan in the "next few days".

Labour has criticised the government for not acting sooner.

Silicon Valley Bank - which specialised in lending to technology companies - was shut down by US regulators on Friday in what was the largest failure of a US bank since 2008.

The bank's UK subsidiary was put into insolvency on Sunday.

It will allow individual depositors to be paid up to £85,000 from the UK's deposit insurance scheme. However, most have far more money than this saved with the bank and will struggle to keep going if they are not able to access it.

Toby Mather, chief executive and co-founder of Lingumi, an education technology start-up, told the BBC his business was highly exposed to SVB's collapse.

He said: "85% of our cash is held in Silicon Valley Bank.. [So this] is a really existential threat to us because I've got to pay my employees and they've got kids and mortgages and so on."

He also warned the ripple effect could be "huge" if deposits are not secured.

Camilla Easter, chief executive at Oxford Medical Products, a health-tech company, said she was working "incredibly hard to see how we can meet our obligations to our shareholders and creditors".

"What we need as an industry right now is for them to very rapidly give us a short-term plan on how we can access our money in those accounts," she told the BBC.

'Preventative action'

US based Etsy, the online crafts marketplace, said had experienced a delay in issuing payments to some sellers related to the unexpected collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

It said teams were "working around the clock to implement a solution" and that it expected to pay sellers via its other payment partners in the coming days

More than 200 bosses of UK tech companies signed a letter addressed to Mr Hunt on Saturday calling for the government to step in.

The letter, from Fintech Founders, said many financial technology firms did all of their banking with SVB "and will therefore go into receivership imminently unless preventative action is taken".

One source in a tech firm told the BBC between 30% and 40% of UK start-ups employing up to 50,000 people could be affected by the collapse.

On Sunday, a consortium of investors led by The Bank of London, a clearing bank, submitted a formal bid to buy SVB UK.

Others including a Middle Eastern investment fund and the banks Barclays and Oaknorth are also said to be mulling offers.

SVB collapsed in the US after failing to raise $2.25bn (£1.9bn) to plug a loss from the sale of assets, mainly US government bonds, that were affected by higher interest rates.

Its troubles prompted a run on the bank in the US and sparked investor fears about the general state of the banking sector.

On Sunday, the US government said people and businesses who had money deposited in Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) would be able to access all their cash from Monday.

It also said the taxpayer would not bear any costs from the move.

What went wrong at Silicon Valley Bank?

Silicon Valley Bank specialised in lending to early-stage businesses, and the company served nearly half of US venture-backed technology and healthcare companies that listed on stock markets last year.

The firm, which started as a California bank in 1983, expanded rapidly over the last decade. It employs more than 8,500 people globally, with most of its operations in the US.

But it has been under pressure as higher rates make it harder for start-ups to raise money through private fundraising or share sales. More clients were withdrawing deposits in a trend that snowballed last week.

Silicon Valley Bank UK, which has stopped making payments or accepting deposits, is officially expected to go into insolvency on Sunday evening.

More on this story

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      11 March 2023

UK firms await government help after US bank collapse (2024)

FAQs

UK firms await government help after US bank collapse? ›

UK tech firms are anxiously waiting to find out what government support they will get after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is a commercial bank division of First Citizens BancShares. The bank was previously the primary subsidiary of SVB Financial Group, a publicly traded bank holding company that had offices in 15 U.S. states and over a dozen international jurisdictions.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Silicon_Valley_Bank
(SVB) in the US. Some have told the BBC they could go bust if help does not come soon enough. The Treasury says it is working to find a solution.

Will the US bank collapse affect the UK? ›

But there is no reason to expect any further direct impact on UK banks, from either Credit Suisse's demise, or the collapse of the smaller US lenders. "The UK banking system remains safe, sound and well capitalised," a UK spokesperson for the Treasury said in a statement following the First Republic failure on 1 May.

What happens when banks collapse UK? ›

FSCS will pay compensation within seven working days of a bank or building society failing. You don't need to do anything, FSCS will compensate you automatically. More complex cases, including temporary high balance claims, will take longer and you'll need to contact us to request an application form.

Did HSBC take over Silicon Valley Bank's UK unit in the rescue deal? ›

Less Than a Year After Rescue, HSBC's Integration of Silicon Valley Bank UK Is Done. HSBC Holdings Plc has completed the integration of Silicon Valley Bank UK following its emergency takeover nearly a year ago, according to Erin Platts, who leads the rescued business.

What happens if banks collapse in the US? ›

The FDIC announces that the bank is closed, and the FDIC is appointed as its receiver so it can help use the bank's assets to pay depositors and creditors. In most cases, the FDIC will try to find another banking institution to acquire the failed bank.

What does SVB collapse mean for the UK? ›

The Bank of England (BoE) subsequently moved to put SVB's UK subsidiary into insolvency. That meant SVB customers could no longer make payments or accept deposits. In the UK, their deposits were protected up to just £85k by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Why has the 2 banks in usa gone down? ›

These banks were brought down by customers withdrawing deposits en masse, both because many were tech or crypto businesses that needed money to cover losses, and because there were better savings rates available elsewhere.

Can the UK government take your savings? ›

HMRC can now take money from people simply if they think they may be using illegal tax avoidance methods. This means they keep the cash until legal proceedings are over, paying it back with interest if they lose.

Can banks seize your money if the economy fails? ›

It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Your money is safe in a bank, even during an economic decline like a recession. Up to $250,000 per depositor, per account ownership category, is protected by the FDIC or NCUA at a federally insured financial institution.

Do you still owe money if a bank collapses? ›

So, no, your loans aren't forgiven if your lender goes bankrupt. You're still responsible for making payments, the only difference is that you'll be sending payments to another institution instead of the one that originally gave you the loan.

Did China own Silicon Valley Bank? ›

SPD Silicon Valley Bank (SSVB) is a 50-50 joint venture between Chinese state-owned Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and SVB Financial, which was shut down by the U.S. financial regulator on Friday after a rapid deposit outflow and the collapse of a fresh funding plan.

Who saved the Silicon Valley Bank? ›

The Federal Reserve took steps following the collapse of SVB to improve confidence in the banking system and prevent future banking failures, including its Bank Term Funding Program. First Citizens Bank struck a deal with the FDIC to buy SVB's deposits and loans, in addition to certain other assets.

Did the US bailout Silicon Valley Bank? ›

On March 12, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve invoked emergency lending authority to backstop the debt of two large regional banks, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

Can the FDIC go broke? ›

Still, the FDIC itself doesn't have unlimited money. If enough banks flounder at once, it could deplete the fund that backstops deposits. However, experts say even in that event, bank patrons shouldn't worry about losing their FDIC-insured money.

Is Bank of America safe from collapse? ›

Bank of America is just one place below JPMorgan Chase on both the 2023 G-SIBs list and the Federal Reserve's list of the largest U.S. banks, which is why it was chosen in our research as one of the safest banks.

What happens to a mortgage if the bank collapses? ›

If your mortgage lender goes bankrupt, all of your loan terms remain exactly the same and you must continue making payments. The process of changing loan servicers is usually seamless, requiring only that you set up a new account and payment method; sometimes account details transfer over automatically.

Is there a risk to UK banks? ›

Overall, despite the increasing profits in the last two years, 2024 will be a challenging one for banks. Apart from the predicted impact of rate cuts on banks' interest margins, economic growth in the UK and globally is expected to be very slow.

Is UK facing financial crisis? ›

The U.K.'s economy has officially entered recession, as its GDP contracted by 0.3 % in the fourth quarter 2023. According to reports from Reuters, the recession is the longest run without growth on record as GDP per person shrinks.

Is the UK in a recession threat? ›

The Bank of England risks making the UK's recession worse unless it cuts interest rates soon to ease the pressure on households amid the cost of living crisis, its former chief economist has warned.

What will happen if UK goes into recession? ›

Some people might lose their jobs, and unemployment could rise. Graduates and school leavers could find it difficult to get their first job. Others may find it harder to be promoted, or to get big enough pay rises to keep pace with price increases.

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