Asset finance brokers are poised for another year of growth in 2020, according to a survey conducted by Investec Asset Finance Group. Despite a year of political uncertainty fuelled by changing Brexit deadlines and general elections, 41% of brokers surveyed said they had increased their business volumes over the last 12 months, compared to 34% […]
A new platform for national recognition within the intermediary market launches today as the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) announces its inaugural Commercial Broker Awards. The awards ceremony will be hosted at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham from 12pm-8pm on Thursday 23rd April 2020, where the winners of each award category will be […]
Balfour Beatty took the top spot this month with three contract awards totalling £297m. The award of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick, a project that was originally contracted to Carillion, contributed £267m to their total. Kier Construction and John Graham Construction were in second and third place for December 2019, with a total contract […]
Gatehouse Bank has today cut the rental rates on its entire buy-to-let (BTL) range, offering the largest reductions to international residents. As part of the latest changes, the most significant rate reduction of 0.70% has brought the five year fixed term for international residents (individual and corporate) down to 3.99%. The two year fixed rental […]
Almost two thirds (64%) of small and medium-sized businesses want to improve their environmental sustainability, according to Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking’s Business Barometer. Nearly half (44%) say becoming more environmentally sustainable is important to them, while a further fifth (20%) say doing so is very important. Moreover, 63% say they have already taken steps to […]
Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance has achieved a significant milestone of over £100m of funding advanced across the Midlands in the 18 months since opening its regional office in Birmingham. The Midlands team has enjoyed rapid growth since regional managing director David Parsons opened the office in 2018 with support from head of portfolio Mike […]
Research from Nucleus Commercial Finance, an alternative finance provider, found that the majority of businesses have performed better than expected in 2019. Despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty, 55% of UK SMEs said that their business performed better in 2019 than 2018. This success was most prominent among young business owners (aged 18-34), with nearly […]
Metro Bank opens its 72nd store on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 January in Wolverhampton. To mark the occasion, Metro Bank is inviting businesses, residents and four-legged friends to the two-day grand opening party. The fun will kick off at 8am on Friday 10 January, with entertainment including stilt walkers, a DJ, free manicures and […]
B-North, the Manchester-based firm building an SME lending bank for the UK, has secured in excess of £2m of fund raising from new and existing investors through equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube and Growthfunders, adding to the £4.2m it has raised in previous rounds. The news follows the announcement in December that B-North has selected Newcastle […]
Ahead of the two-year anniversary of its implementation on 13 January 2020, Robert McKechnie, Open Banking expert at Equifax UK, believes broadening Open Banking platforms will be a turning point in its drive to mass adoption in the year ahead: “Open Banking, which was brought into inception two years ago, was predicted by many to […]
