Specialist bridging lender West One Loans' gross completions in the first half of the year grew by 32 per cent to £485m, with continued growth pegged for the rest of the year.
The lender said that key drivers of its performance were an increase in activity in the housing market, growing borrower demand as well as increased portfolio diversification by borrowers.
The lender also issued around £2.3bn in sets of terms in the first half of the year, up also by nearly a third compared to the same period last year.
West One Loans’ sales director Nick Jones (pictured) said that it was a strong period of growth for the lender and it expected the momentum to continue into the second half of the year.
He said that it was able to maximise opportunities from heightened demand in the market due to its high level of customer service, quality of the product and quick turnaround time.
He added: “Our long-standing and strong relationships with our broker and intermediary network have also been a key factor. When you’re working with quality partners day-in day-out, it makes the whole process more efficient and helps bring down the turnaround times to industry-leading levels.
“It also demonstrates the strength of the bridging finance sector right now, as increasingly people are looking to specialist lenders to achieve their property-owning aspirations.”
Anna is currently the deputy editor for Mortgage Solutions and editor for Specialist Lending Solutions. She has worked as a journalist since 2019, having secured her Gold Standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates in a fast-track six-month course.
She started her career as a report at specialist publication The Insurance Insider covering a wide range of areas before joining Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions in 2021.
In her role, she helps put together and structure the news agenda for the day and writes up press releases, reports, interviews, analyses and exclusives across both titles. She also commissions blogs for Specialist Lending Solutions and hosts online masterclasses and in-person events across the business.
She has been shortlisted for three journalism awards, which include BIBA Journalist and Media Awards Scoop of Year Award in 2020, Headline Money Mortgage Journalist of the Year Award (B2B) in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to being a journalist, Anna worked in ecommerce across Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need websites, and before that worked at specialist financial PR firm Rostrum.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading, seeing live music, and cooking for friends and family. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys hiking, skiing and indoor rock climbing.