In a quiet year for large-scale bank lends, funders at the sharp end of the market have been more prevalent. Aluminium manufacturer Inal Metals North, based in Manchester, secured an £800,000 invoice-discounting package from Venture Finance to support its growth plans; this also represents an upward curve for Venture. According to figures released in September, lending to new clients in the first half of 2009 has almost doubled compared with the same period a year earlier.