Other significant highlights from the past 12 months

72% reported either no significant change or a decrease in competition 14% saw the average credit quality of loans decrease A protracted legal process and borrower and valuer response times are the top three factors contributing to delays 19% think problems with getting information and a lack of knowledge from brokers contributed most to prolonged timescales One-third of the market (33%) saw a rise in the foreclosing of properties, compared to just 4% the year before highlighted independent brokers as their most important primary channel for bridging loan originations, while the popularity of master brokers dropped from 27% to 20% year-on-year

Refurbishment, business purposes and mortgage delays are the top three most popular uses for a bridging loan Independent brokers, master brokers, and direct to customer are the top three primary channels for bridging loan originations Speed of execution is still considered the most important capability to a customer or broker when choosing a bridging lender (62%), while repayment flexibility is the least (5%) Reputation of the lender (38%) overtook relationship management (33%), but they were both in the top three most important factors Only 16% picked low pricing as the most important important—the same as last year Strong relationships with brokers was the number one capability for businesses to remain successful in the bridging market (68%), followed by strong origination capabilities (65%) and the ability to secure low-cost funding (60%)