Kaur has over two decades of experience in commercial finance and will be instrumental in helping the lender grow its loan book by promoting its offering to SMEs, property investors and developers across the region. 

Kaur joins from Natwest where she worked for almost 11 years, most recently as relationship director. 

Surb (pictured) said: “It’s great to be starting this new position at such a highly-successful finance company.I have always been incredibly impressed with the fantastic proposition that Together offers in the marketplace. It prides itself as a common sense lender, with managers who are empowered to provide quick decisions, keeping lending simple and supporting businesses to grow. Together has brought lending right back to basics with real people and has equipped its staff with the ability to say ‘yes’.  

“Its approach to lending makes Together one of the ‘most valuable seats at the table’ amongst businesses and intermediaries who, with the backing of Together, are able to provide clients with finance solutions that they may struggle to place with other lenders. I am proud to be working with Together and making a difference to people’s lives by supporting their funding requirements.” 

She added: “I’m looking forward to maintaining my existing strong relationships and forging new ones, in order to open doors for more SMEs, investors and corporate clients in this region.”  

She will report to Elliot Vure, director of corporate sales at Together. 

Vure said: “We are pleased to welcome Surb to the Together team. She brings with her a wealth of commercial finance knowhow and experience and will be a real asset to our company in helping to provide the finance to help clients to realise their property ambitions. 

“Having only joined a few weeks ago, Surb has thoroughly bought into our company’s vision to be the most valued lending company in the UK.” 

He will report to Andrea Glasgow, sales director, specialist mortgages at HTB.

In his role, Newman will look at developing new and existing broker relationships along with promoting the lender’s proposition in East Anglia. He will also ensure investors and landlords are “fully supported” through service, products and criteria.

Newman initially joined the firm as a lending assessor in 2022 and was then promoted to lending manager covering the South West in January this year.

Prior to that he worked at Shawbrook between 2019 and 2022, firstly as a commercial loan officer before working his way up to data and operations officer.

Glasgow said: “Mark’s promotion is well-deserved, and I am certain he will flourish in his new role. It is incredibly important to me, and the bank, that we grow and retain top talent in our industry, and I am ecstatic to welcome Mark to the role.

“He is one of many talented individuals working in HTB’s specialist mortgages division, who together are responsible for delivering our strong proposition and award-winning service.”

She continued: “As we approach 2024, HTB has an insatiable appetite to support all types of landlords, from both first-time ones and professional investors. We will continue to strengthen and refine our product and service propositions to achieve this, and I know that Mark brings the right attitude, skills and experience to support this.”

Newman added: “The environment at HTB is such that since I joined 18 months ago, I have felt incredibly motivated to push myself and develop. HTB sees your potential and supports personal growth – it is an incredibly rewarding environment to be a part of.

“Having worked hard to gain two promotions since joining HTB, and having built strong relationships both internally and externally, I am excited to help support our broker partners to deliver our award-winning service to their customers in an ever-changing market.”

The firm was set up over a decade ago by director Siobhan Holbrook and caters to clients with adverse credit, high-net-worth individuals, buy-to-let and shared ownership. 

Holbrook said: “I’m delighted to announce that we’ve taken the next step in our company’s expansion, by launching our commercial finance department.  

“We’ve been arranging domestic mortgages for many years, and we’re excited to be able to offer a whole plethora of finance options to service a growing market.” 

The commercial division will be led by Alex Stoyles, head of commercial lending and high net worth.  

Its services will include bridging finance, asset finance, second charge, development finance, and refurbishment among other specialist advice areas. 

Stoyles said: “Since Siobhan started the business over 12 years ago, we’ve become an industry recognised mortgage brokerage whose reputation is trusted by lenders, developers and home buyers alike. Mortgage Light is recognised for providing a great service and for offering bespoke products that are not always accessible elsewhere.  

“Our clients will know us for assisting with the purchase of their own home or investment properties, but many won’t be aware that we also help customers with other areas of finance too.” 

Prices in its buy-to-let range for commercial landlords borrowing under £1m have been cut by up to 0.3 per cent, and by 0.2 per cent for those borrowing £1m or more.

Holiday lets and HMO products have also been discounted by 0.2 per cent, with rates beginning from 6.35 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively.

The firm’s commercial investment five-year fix, launched earlier this year, have also fallen by 0.2 per cent. It is available for loans on retail, office, industrial, warehousing, quality leisure facilities and other kinds of commercial property.

The rate now stands at 7.1 per cent, a fall from 7.3 per cent up to 60 per cent LTV, and at 70 per cent LTV the decrease is from 7.35 per cent to 7.15 per cent.

Tom Simpson, managing director of YBS Commercial Mortgages, said: “We’re really pleased to reduce rates across our suite of products, following a drop in swap rates.

“These changes reflect our commitment to keeping brokers informed about rate changes, adjusting our pricing and passing on the benefit of market fluctuations wherever possible to brokers and their clients, and ensuring that we retain our competitive edge.”

He said the “project to build and establish StreamBank was always bookended”. 

The bridging and development finance lender gained its full banking licence earlier this year which allowed it to offer savings accounts. It also provides commercial mortgages. 

Pateman (pictured) added: “We built the team and all the operational and control framework elements demanded of a well-run bank in my first two years with the firm. As the bank continues to mature and develop, customer numbers grow, and we come towards the end of the first year of operation as a bank, the time is right to move on to the next chapter. 

“I am very grateful to the board and to Alex Pusco, the founder and shareholder, for giving me the opportunity to lead the build of StreamBank – creating a niche specialist property lender.” 

He said: “We have established truly solid foundations for the future growth and success of the bank and this achievement would not have been possible without the hard work, professionalism and energy of the founding team. Working with them on this journey has been a true privilege and I am grateful for their unstinting support.” 

Succession process 

Pateman will be replaced by chief financial officer Jean-Pierre Flais on an interim basis. 

John Reed, chairman of StreamBank, said: “Steve has done a fantastic job of both building and leading his in house team and external advisers in securing the banking licence and building the business. He has established StreamBank as a real presence in the specialist property finance market and leaves with our thanks and huge appreciation for a job well done. 

“The board will now work with Jean-Pierre on the bank’s plans for its second year of trading whilst focusing on the search for a permanent successor.”  

Flais added: “I have worked closely with Steve and the board on this project for over three years and I am pleased to step into the CEO role as we turn our efforts to generating another year of growth underpinned by solid foundations and a great team.” 

Christofi will take on the role of chief executive and Antoniou will be co-founder.

The London-based firm will offer “nationwide expert counsel” on debt and equity, which covers development funding, short-term lending, investment finance, commercial mortgages, high net worth (HNW) mortgages, asset finance and commercial insurance.

The company will also be unveiling a range of exclusive limited products with key lenders and will offer complimentary financial strategy reviews for developers and investors.

It will act as an external financial director for clients, facilitating finance and offer a blueprint to help customers navigate through complex real estate financing landscape.

Christofi was most recently co-founder and managing director of Sirius Property Finance for around seven years and before that held roles at Brightstar and Robert Sterling Financial Services.

Christofi said: “We are thrilled to bring Karis Capital to the real estate community. Our goal is to redefine the way developers and investors approach financing. We are not just offering solutions; we are building enduring partnerships that fuel success.”

Atom will provide the funds through Funding Circle’s data and technology platform. It has a long investment relationship with Funding Circle having completed three agreements. In total, Atom has lent around £800m through its system. 

The latest partnership is intended to support SMEs through the most recent phase of the government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) offered by Funding Circle. 

Lisa Jacobs, CEO at Funding Circle, said: “Access to finance remains crucial for small businesses, so we’re delighted to once again be partnering with Atom Bank to help more SMEs get the funding they need to win.  

“The Recovery Loan Scheme is an important way for us to be able to say yes to more businesses in line with our medium-term plan, and we’re continuing to extend our track record of delivering robust and attractive loan returns for our investors, in spite of the changing economic environment.” 

Dipesh Mehta, co-head of global capital markets at Funding Circle, added: “We’re delighted to strengthen our long-standing relationship with Atom Bank via this new lending partnership. We aim to build strong, long-lasting partnerships with our investors and repeat transactions are a testament to that.  

“The partnership will help support more small businesses to access finance, and further demonstrates our track record at delivering robust and attractive investor returns in changing economic conditions.” 

‘Supporting as many SMEs as possible’

Chris Storey, chief commercial officer at Atom Bank, said: “This partnership forms a key part of our ongoing commitment to UK business owners. We have an ambition to support as many SMEs as possible as we scale the bank, and continuing to leverage Funding Circle’s market leading tech provides us with a fantastic way to deliver on that ambition.  

“We recently announced our first full year of operating profit, followed by a successful capital raise and securitisation, so Atom is in a particularly strong position to help those firms who may be struggling to access finance. We have been supporting businesses through the latest iteration of the Recovery Loan Scheme, so we look forward to now helping even more UK SMEs invest and grow as we move into the new year.” 

The range has been backed by £75m funding from HSBC for sustainable lending. 

The product will offer eligible borrowers interest payment refunds from 0.25 to 0.1 per cent on drawn funds. 

Downing will work closely with developers to create an assessment, which will include waste and water management, carbon reduction and energy efficiency. 

The lender will also engage with developers to identify areas that could make a development more sustainable and increase the rebate available to them. 

Once the development is completed, an independent specialist will assess how it complies with sustainability objectives. 

Parik Chandra, partner and head of specialist lending at Downing LLP, said: “We firmly believe that our sustainable loan product represents one of the most compelling incentives driving sustainable innovation within the construction industry. Furthermore, it aligns with the evolving preferences of end buyers who increasingly prioritise energy efficiency in residential schemes. 

“Downing Property Finance takes pride in delivering this initiative, empowering property developers to embrace sustainability, reduce environmental impact, and create appealing, energy-efficient residential projects that cater to the discerning preferences of today’s homebuyers.” 

The firm said that this is a two per cent increase on its current baseline commission and cases received prior to Christmas Day that complete will be eligible for the new fee.

Ed Blackmore, business development director of sales at Suros Capital, said: “The enhanced commission deal is an added incentive to introducers to help them spotlight clients who need immediate short-term funding for any purpose, but where conventional borrowing is not quick enough.

“If they are in possession of luxury assets such as jewellery, fine art, watches, luxury and classic cars and fine wine, we can lend within days rather than months with the minimum of paperwork and without the usual cumbersome and expensive need to engage solicitors and surveyors.”

He added: “We want every broker to be more aware of the opportunities for clients whose liquid resources are tied up but have assets which can be used to secure a loan from us.

“We are usually able to release funds within 24 hours of assessing the asset value. With up to 80 per cent of wealthy clients having suitable assets, this is still an untapped market for many brokers.”

Buxton has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and he joins from Natwest where he was director, general corporates, specialist asset finance for more than five years. 

Prior to that, he worked at Lombard for 10 years as a relationship manager. 

Over his career, he has worked with mid and large corporate customers to transact complex and project finance solutions. 

At MAF, Buxton will support SME and larger corporate clients to secure finance across a range of products. 

Buxton (pictured) said: “With significant capability to support clients with larger, more complex and bespoke transactions, joining MAF will enable me to work with a wide panel of banks and alternative funders, giving much more scope across a wider range of clients where we don’t have to say no to a client with a great business plan just because they don’t meet a particular lender’s criteria.  

“Over the last 14 years, MAF has established a strong reputation and, having previously worked with some of the senior management, I am excited to be joining such a dynamic business.” 

Sue Chapman, joint managing director of MAF, added: “We’re delighted that someone with Paul’s impressive track record in the sector is joining our incredible team. He strengthens our representation in Manchester and across the North West as we continue to support major corporate clients and SME businesses, enabling them to realise their growth aspirations.”