10 Questions with... Chris Parr, Senior BDM at Bridgebank Capital

10 Questions with... Chris Parr, Senior BDM at Bridgebank Capital




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1. So, who do you fancy off the telly?

 

There are too many to list! Let me think... Err... God, I don’t know, not sure, let me think... not sure I can name one person... who’s that woman off The One Show? Christine something... [B&C: Christine Bleakely?] Yep, that’s it.

 

2. Okay then… how long have you been at Bridgebank Capital?

 

Since the company started in 2006, so for four years now.

 

3. And what’s the best thing about your job?

 

Completing deals and delivering a solution to the client on time, I love problem solving – there’s a way to do anything, you just need to find it.

[B&C: Chris didn’t deny being a fan of Rubix cubes]

 

4. What’s the worst thing about your job?

 

It’s got to be the boss! Nah, in all seriousness, it’s getting enough quality information from the broker at the initial call. Gone are the days when you had property X value and you would lend Y LTV, now it’s much more complex due to the lack of longer term funding for clients. You’ve got to get a complete understanding of the client rather than just the property.

 

As short term lenders we have to make sure the client has a realistic opportunity of re-financing the deal or achieving a sale in the period requested. The short term lending arena has had to adapt over the last two years to survive, you take on more of an underwriting role front end so as not to waste the brokers’ time.

 

5. What did you want to be when you were little?

 

Well, like all little boys, a footballer. I wanted to be the star midfielder for Manchester United.

 

6. What do you predict will happen in the bridging market over the next 12 months?

 

Over the last couple of years the quality of clients we have been working with has increased tenfold. People no longer see it as a last resort; I think bridging finance has lost a lot of the stigma.

 

I see bridging becoming a more mainstream product that clients and brokers will use more and not just as a final option. People have lost a lot of trust in the banks and are now turning to bridging companies to deliver the initial funding as banks are no longer delivering the deadlines that clients have to work within.

 

We are also seeing more corporate transactions where clients are looking to re-bank or raise capital for business needs.

 

7. To new players entering the market, what advice would you give?

 

None! Learn from your mistakes like everyone else! Bridging isn’t as easy as it may look.

 

8. How do you unwind?

 

I’ve got two young boys, aged nine and four, so I’m not allowed to unwind! No, only joking, I unwind with them, they’re great. We watch football together, they keep me busy. I also have a motorbike, a Kawasaki 1000. I like to get out into the countryside on it, I take my eldest with me sometimes.

 

9. What’s your favourite film? Honestly!

 

The Italian Job, the original, not the remake – that was terrible.

 

10. If your life was a TV show, what would it be?

 

Well if it was a film, then like for everyone in the finance industry, Groundhog Day. For TV, I’m not sure, I don’t watch much telly. Wheeler Dealers?

 

 

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