Tirath Singh (pictured above) joins the bank as director of property development, while David Masters has been hired as a property development manager.

Tirath joins from Avamore Capital, where he was a relationship manager.

He brings more than a decade of real estate finance expertise to the bank, including three years of experience as a senior relationship manager at at Assetz Capital.

According to UTB, Tirath’s strong local knowledge will be ‘a valuable asset’ in his new role.

David Masters, manager of property development, UTB

David, meanwhile, joins from Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB), where he was a senior relationship manager in the bank’s development finance team.

In his new role, David will work closely with Simon Cartwright, director of property development at UTB, to support housebuilders and developers across the Midlands, Oxfordshire and Northern Home Counties.

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Adam Bovingdon, head of property development at UTB, commented: “UTB continues to support experienced housebuilders in the face of strong economic headwinds sweeping across the property industry.

“We are investing in people who will provide customers with the support, advice and funding they need to seize opportunities and build the homes the UK still desperately needs.

“UTB has a vast collective experience of navigating the difficulties which can arise from downturns in economic and property cycles; our customers benefit from this knowledge and the assurance working with a robust and reliable through the cycle lender brings.

“In the last few years, we have established some successful new relationships with housebuilders operating across the East and West Midlands, and there a lot more we’d like to work with in the future.

“Tirath and David have joined us at just the right time; housebuilders are always looking to acquire land for their next projects, coming to fruition in two or three years, but some may find their regular lenders more cautious and less amenable given the gloomier outlook.

“We’re keen to show experienced housebuilders that we’re in this for the long term and Tirath and David will be relaying that message to the market.”