Over 4,000 SMEs in the Midlands have been contacted by sister banks NatWest and RBS as part of their campaign to offer an additional £1.69 billion of new lending.

Rob Bailey, a regional managing director of commercial banking at NatWest, said: “Our message is clear: we are very much ‘open for business’, and we want to support business growth. That is why we are pro-actively speaking to customers to let them know how much we could lend if they want to invest.

“We have received positive feedback from our customers about this initiative, and it is encouraging to see the money lent enabling local businesses to fulfill their ambitions — such as buying their premises, expanding their production and recruiting more staff.