Consumers are finding it difficult to finance storm shelters, says leading storm shelter manufacturer Survive-a-Storm Shelters of Thomasville, Georgia. Tornado shelter and safe room manufacturer Survive-a-Storm Shelters has made hundreds of phone calls over the past couple of months to major consumer financing sources, and most of the calls end with a similar response. Many banks and lending sources queried seem to be unwilling to finance storm shelters, as the banks cannot readily take a secured interest in a shelter that is installed underground. While consumers with excellent credit may be able to open a new credit card or take out an unsecured loan to purchase a storm shelter, these options are simply not available to many consumers in some of the hardest hit areas of the country. Survive-a-Storm Shelters has successfully identified several sources of funding, but it has had difficulty rolling out these programs to its dealers located throughout the South and Midwest. According to Matt Williams, spokesperson for Survive-a-Storm Shelters, "Our accounting department has had very limited success in setting up retail financing for storm shelters. You would think that banks would be jumping at the opportunity to burnish their image and become more involved in their communities, but we have not found this to be the case." According to Williams, it seems as if many banks simply do not understand how to treat a storm shelter. Once it is installed in the ground, it becomes part of the property. But Williams believes that banks should look more closely at the potential upside of financing a potentially lifesaving product like an underground storm shelter or above ground safe room. "We are surprised that some of the larger casualty insurance companies have not expressed more of an interest. Most of these companies pay lip service to preparing for disasters--and some even have pages on their websites about how to construct or install a storm shelter. But so far as we are aware, none of them actively promote storm shelters or offer financing through their affiliated banks and lending operations." Survive-a-Storm Shelters has sold hundreds of steel storm shelters in the past year, and a recent survey of the company's clients reveal a customer with modestly high net worths and excellent credit profiles. Unfortunately, though, many customers have had to abandon their hopes of installing storm shelters because of their lack of creditworthiness. Survive-a-Storm Shelters is continue to work the phones as storm season commences. As a major supplier to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, Survive-a-Storm's parent company Harbor Enterprises continues to pursue consumer financing options, and it hopes to add additional sources of funding before the next big tornado outbreak. Survive-a-Storm Shelters is the nation's leading manufacturer of tornado shelters, safe rooms, and storm shelters.