Phil Bird (pictured above, back row, left) and Evan Griffin (back row, third from left) join the lender having previously worked at Arbuthnot Latham and Lloyds Bank respectively. 

Both will focus on maintaining and developing relationships with housebuilders and property investors in their regions and help them to secure funding for suitable developments.

UTB’s development finance team has doubled in size over the last six months to give the lender the widest national coverage it has ever been able to offer regional brokers and customers.

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Phil will be responsible for building new relationships with brokers and developers across the southern half of England and Wales, while Evan will be introducing UTB’s products to those operating in Yorkshire and the North East. 

“We now have nine property development directors and managers, and a head of sales, serving developers and brokers all over the country from Cornwall in the South West to the coast of Wales, the Midlands and up to the lakes of Cumbria in the North of England,” said Noel Meredith, executive director at UTB (back row, third from right). 

“This growth follows another successful year for development finance at UTB and our securing an ENABLE Guarantee from the British Business Bank, which greatly increases our capacity to lend to SME housebuilders.”

Noel said that the continued expansion of its activities and investment in the team underlined its commitment to serving housebuilders throughout the property cycle. 

“Although there seems to be an almost constant state of political and economic uncertainty, our outlook for the UK property market remains positive and our ambition is to be the first-choice lender for housebuilders and developers building homes and investing in communities. 

“With an increased capital base, we have funds immediately available to lend to those experienced developers wishing to build the right homes in the right places and for the right prices.”

Also pictured above: (back row) Paul Keay, Steve Brigly, Paul Turton; (front row) Orla Costello, Paul Flannery, Jonathan Nail, Adam Bovingdon