Patron Profile
The future’s bright The future’s professional and commercial Mike Davies Head of Business Development YBS Commercial
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hen 2021 began, we had great hopes that things would get back to normal. Now that year is at an end, it is clear it was far from normal but despite the unusual challenges we have delivered some great outcomes for our borrowers and brokers. Our lending grew by 150% and we’re proud to have been able to support more borrowers who have needed us more than ever before. We have also built stronger, better connections with our brokers as well as increasing the broker panel by 50%. This has been achieved by increasing the number of relationship directors alongside the steps we have taken to unwind policies introduced at the start of the pandemic. For example, we are now lending again in the leisure sector. We also listened to broker feedback and have launched a variety of new propositions designed to support the market in the best way possible.
Our proposition At the very start of lockdown, we took the decision to keep on lending and to continually find ways to increase our overall levels of lending. This proposition remains unchanged and our commitment to the commercial real estate sector in the UK is undiminished. In 16 | NACFB
fact, we’re aiming to maintain the momentum we generated in 2021. We are clear about where we see ourselves in the market and where our product and service best meet the needs of borrowers and brokers. Our service proposition is based around brokers and borrowers getting a personal service from us by always having a named contact in our team to support them at every step, from application to completion. In support of this personal service, we are introducing more automation to enhance the efficiency and use of the broker portal. Our product range has been developed with experienced portfolio investors in mind. Our buy-to-let range features fixed rates as well as specialist products designed to serve the holiday let, HMO and semi-commercial markets, all of which can be blended to support a portfolio investor. Similarly, our commercial investment product works well for a broad range of industry sectors and again, can be tailored to meet the needs of experienced portfolio investors.
The market in 2021 In the commercial market, one of the year’s success stories for lenders, brokers and borrowers was the surge in demand for holiday lets. With foreign travel largely out of the question, we witnessed a huge increase in people holidaying in the UK. Lenders responded with specialist products, and brokers supported clients who recognised and capitalised on the opportunity. The buy-to-let sector also saw significant growth as a result of increases in demand for housing, and higher house prices. Experienced investors
