Trade Mark Direct, a high-tech start-up, is to become one of the first small businesses to benefit from government support for lending announced three weeks ago.

Lloyds TSB has agreed to advance £50,000 ($72,085) to the Windsor-based company, backed by a 75 per cent government guarantee.

The size of the loan is negligible compared with the thousands of millions in which the credit crunch is quantified, but ministers hope such modest expansion loans are a sign that credit is easing for small businesses.

Dan Scarfe, co-founder of the trademark registration service, was “delighted” with the loan, an early fruit of the £1.3bn Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme Lord Mandelson announced on January 14. The 10-year facility charges 3.5 per cent over the base rate, which Mr Scarfe described as “a very good rate”. He said the money would be disbursed in two tranches following approval from the business department, which is expected within a month.

Mr Scarfe’s praise for government support schemes was heavily qualified, however. He said: “It is a good start but we need to see more. They need to guarantee 90 to 95 per cent of credit to get loans flowing again.”

Trade Mark Direct, which says its technology can halve the cost of trademark registration, is getting the funds it needs. But its parent business, Dot Net Solutions, which creates computer packages for companies such as Punch and BT, is struggling for financing after HSBC turned down an application for a £100,000 loan.