Have your say: What interest rates are businesses paying and what conditions are banks imposing?

We have introduced a new page to the interest.co.nz site focusing on business base rates offered by banks in New Zealand. The page provides base rates, so borrowers should be aware that banks, in most cases, will add margins to them. Final rates are often much higher than the base rate and will vary depending on individual loan circumstances. We are very keen to expand and update the page with our readers' help. Here is a link to the page. If you are aware of other rates that we don't have on the page, such as Westpac's rates or agriculture rates, then we would appreciate your help and feedback in the comments space below. Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard referred to growing corporate anger over bank behaviour at the Jobs Summit on February 27, but there is little consistent information showing what has happened to business margins over base rates. Federated Farmers surveyed farmers in early-March and found their overdraft rates had dropped just 156 basis points since December, while the Official Cash Rate had been cut 300 basis points. We'd like to start gathering this information so business customers can shop around and know what they're paying compared to the rest of the market. The chart here comes from a Reserve Bank survey of base interest rates offered to new business borrowers, but does not reflect margins paid above base rates. We are also curious as to your thoughts and experiences with business lending rates. How do the base rates compare with the margins you are paying over the rates? Have the banks been moving your margins (or base rates) around recently? How do they compare with margins and rates a year or two ago? How aware are you of other banks' rates (compared to the bank you are with)? What conditions or covenants are banks imposing on loans and have they changed since the Credit Crunch began? Do you, or small/medium businesses you know of, use a house as collateral for a loan instead of borrowing using business rates? Please enter your comments below.