To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we sat down with Real Property Finance to talk about our work together throughout the years.
Andy Churchill, Alan Laslett and Alex Churchill, of Real Property Finance
The team at Real Property Finance Ltd has enjoyed a very strong relationship with Cambridge & Counties Bank – I think we were one of the first brokers to work with the bank and have maintained a successful partnership since 2012.
Last year, we were awarded residential broker of the year at the bank’s annual broker awards - the eighth consecutive year we have received the accolade (so we must be doing something right!).
It is not an understatement to say that Cambridge & Counties Bank has been a huge part of the Real Property Finance story.
In the early days, nearly 70% of business went to the bank. Over the past 10 years, we have introduced around £175 million in deals to the bank.
The majority of our clients with Cambridge & Counties Bank are repeat customers, underscoring the inherent value the bank offers and its competitive, tailored service. We are currently working with one who has completed almost 30 deals with them since 2013 – currently working on a holiday let deal and no doubt there will be additional opportunities going forward.
One of the things that sticks in the mind is that the bank really helped during the financial crisis when other banks were not lending. They showed great loyalty and commitment, and an understanding of our need to support local businesses and real estate investors.
We make new customer recommendations because we trust the bank to deliver. Not all banks do deliver on what they say they will and that’s the difference. If something doesn’t quite work, then the team will always look to tweak the deal in order to make it work for our clients.
We have a strong deal flow going through with Cambridge & Counties at the moment. Holiday lets have been popular, and we have completed a fair amount of commercial lending. It is clear that, over the past 10 years, the bank’s appetite has broadened to a wider range of sectors.
Looking ahead, we fully expect the volume and value of deals to continue. The relationship is a long-standing one: there is a mutual understanding between both parties, and it often feels like we’re dealing with friends.
We love the way Cambridge & Counties Bank works and look forward to another strong and healthy 10 years of supporting each other and our mutual clients.