We don’t deal with cases, we deal with customers

Structured finance is all about the customer, so gaining a thorough understanding of their business and objectives is key.

When UTB’s Structured Finance team completes a facility for a new client, we do not view it as closing the deal; we see it as the start of a new relationship. We pride ourselves on giving the clients the tools they need to grow their business by providing medium term bespoke facilities. Following the initial transaction, our facilities continue to adapt and develop as the client’s situation and needs change. In this recent example we were happy to provide a flexible, revolving facility for a customer with a set of complex requirements.

Upon initial assessment the client simply required a facility to fund the development of a non-trading hotel whilst they also regularised the planning consent. Following meetings with the clients to establish what they were looking to achieve over the next three years, we not only funded the completion of the hotel but combined this facility with the acquisition of a further development site which had the benefit of a planning consent for a mixed-use scheme. Since then we have assisted with funding other residential assets as the clients have grown their portfolio.

We recognise that repayment strategies can change and there are some matters which are beyond the client’s control. In this example the client intended to repay the Banks’s facility via long term investment finance once the hotel was complete, planning regularised and had achieved a mature level of trading after 12 -18 months. However, as we often see with planning permissions, things took longer than anticipated.

Rather than see this delay as a problem, instead the SF team saw the opportunity. Consequently, we have adopted a flexible approach and have provided a new three-year interest–only revolving facility. This pre agreed facility offers a funding line that allows the client to draw funds in under 24 hours.