Japan 'may punish banks' refusing loans
22-12-2008
Japan's financial watchdog may punish banks which it finds have unfairly withheld loans to smaller businesses, according to a report. The country's Financial Services Agency will interview bank officials and conduct other checks to discover how they have responded to loan requests from small and medium-sized firms, the business newspaper Nikkei reported. Many smaller companies have complained about a reluctance by banks to give them loans, despite a credit guarantee scheme launched by the government in October.
