Our Services

The right person. In front of the right customer. At the right time

We work as a national team, based in various regional locations. We’re quick to understand what’s going on in your business and use our experience to put together a range of options from which you can choose. Our skills go well beyond examining balance sheets — we understand that the context of your business and not just your numbers are important and focus on three distinct areas.

Private Equity backed businesses

Our Acquisition Finance teams work closely with management teams, private equity investors, corporate finance and debt advisers. We provide innovative funding structures for a broad range of deal sizes and sectors, on a sole bank and club bank basis on transactions involving a transfer of business ownership.

Our Growth Finance team provides venture debt to IP-rich, high growth venture capital backed businesses. The funding package differentiates itself from many conventional debt products as it does not require a business to be either profitable or cash generative at the point of borrowing. We’ve extended this long-standing and successful offering to smaller IP-rich businesses backed by venture capital or business angels – we call this our Emerging Technology Unit.

Specialist Sector Propositions

We offer bespoke debt packages for market segments where we have especially deep insight into the financing requirement, and experience in meeting it. When you deal with us, you’ll be supported by sector specialists at all times — when your facilities are being arranged, and once you become a customer. Many of our specialists have skills and experience that encompasses the banking industry, relevant business functions, academic and professional qualifications, or hands-on expertise in a particular industry.

Larger SMEs and mid-market businesses

We have more than 175 years of heritage and excellence in providing debt solutions and vital business banking services — for thousands of UK large SMEs and mid-market businesses. Our customers appreciate that we don’t use call centres; they always have decisions made by a human being. This provides greater continuity in our customer relationships – an approach we invest in even if you’re not a giant multinational.

We support the UK’s larger SMEs by adopting the same approach to cash flow lending as we do for our corporate customers. Businesses growing from large SME to the mid-market need the support of a responsive banking partner. That’s why we offer a dedicated credit function with guaranteed 48 hour turnaround. We also understand how to manage the volatility within a business, leveraging operational cash flows instead of physical assets.

As a smaller and more nimble organisation we can deliver a tailored service with direct access to senior decision makers. We don’t have complicated regional or sector structures. Instead, you deal with a national team that simply seeks to put the right person, with the right knowledge, in front of the right customer at the right time.

Lending is subject to status and eligibility