Paul Flannery, Huw Jenkins, Phil Bird and Evan Griffin have joined Paul Keay, Jonathan Nail, Adam Bovingdon, Orla Costello and Steve Brigly to create one of the most experienced and knowledgeable originator teams in the industry. This increased capability is enabling us to introduce the Bank’s products and services to more brokers and developers in more parts of the UK than ever before.
This continuing investment in people follows us securing an ENABLE guarantee from the British Business Bank which greatly increases our capacity to lend to SME house builders. Subsequently, we currently have funds immediately available to support developers building the right homes in the right places at the right prices.
Paul Turton joined us at the end of last year as Head of Sales for Development Finance and he has ambitious plans to further increase UTB’s presence and influence in all areas of the SME house building sector.
UTB has built a reputation as a highly respected stakeholder in the development and housebuilding industry. We work with property associations and trade bodies, such as the Home Builders Federation, the property press and government agencies such as the British Business Bank, as well as the established professional practices offering real estate services. We are also frequently invited to speak at property conferences and we attend all the key industry trade shows and events, including MIPIM.
We also publish regular articles and comment on issues which impact on our customers’ daily business lives and distribute case studies outlining how we have financed unusual or complex development sites to inspire and encourage developers to bring us their projects. At the beginning of 2018, we introduced the ‘Wise Owls’, a group of well-known industry people who share their valuable insight via regular articles exclusive to UTB for the benefit of our customers and contacts. Through this forum, we have already taken a close look at commercial property as a safe haven in volatile stock markets, the advantages of buying and selling at property auctions and developments in off-site construction. Looking forward, we will be discussing innovations in place making, how to bring listed buildings back in to commercial use and general insight on build cost inflation in a post Brexit world.