A decade in bridging: What I've learned about scaling without selling out on service
By Stephen PalfreemanSuccess for an expanding bank should not be measured just by loan book size but by whether brokers still trust you and know you’ll pick up the phone
Section: magazine
When I joined the bridging world in 2013, I don’t think many of us expected just how much it would change over the next decade. The market was smaller, products were simpler, and change happened at a very different pace. Today, bridging is constantly evolving and has become one of the most dynamic areas of lending. Having been on the team at Tuscan Capital before it became part of Allica Bank, I've had the opportunity to experience that evolution first-hand.
It's almost two years since the acquisition; we've more than doubled our loan book and are on track to originate £250m of new lending this year, with an ambition to reach £500m by 2027.
Growth, though, has never been the solitary objective. What I've learnt over the past two years is that growth is one thing; doing it without losing the qualities that our brokers and the established businesses they serve value is something else entirely.
Read the full column here.
Keywords: Business growth, Allica Bank, Bank, Property finance, Bridging lender, Brokers, Broker relationships, £500m, Lending target, Technology, Banking technology