Where some banks are stepping back, brokers can step forward – Says

This was the headline of a recent Financial Times article, which reported the increasing trend for wealthy individuals to make multimillion-pound loans to their peers. According to the report, “loans of between £3m and £10m are becoming more popular as banks step back.”

My response to this is that not all banks are stepping back in this area. Some, including GB Bank, are very much on the front foot, and this presents an excellent opportunity for intermediaries.

It seems clear that there’s no lack of demand for borrowing from high-net-worth (HNW) individuals, but there is a growing disconnect between how traditional lending models are set up and what HNW clients actually need. These borrowers often have substantial asset bases, but when it comes to liquidity, speed and structure matter more than ever. If a lender can’t move quickly or accommodate complex ownership structures or less conventional income, the borrower will look elsewhere, and that’s where family offices or private lending often enter the picture.

But there is a middle ground. The market today includes a number of banks and specialist lenders who are actively working with intermediaries to deliver funding solutions on loans in the £3m-20m range, even where the circumstances are complex, multi-faceted and require a tailored approach.

This includes bridging finance to cover time-critical acquisitions, refinances involving multiple layers of ownership, or lending secured against portfolios where income is split across residential and commercial units. In these scenarios, the deal rarely fits a standard box, but that doesn’t mean it’s unworkable. It just means the lender and intermediary need to be aligned, experienced, and pragmatic.

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For intermediaries, this is a huge opportunity. According to the Financial Times article, “loans between rich individuals can carry rates of from 10% and could lead to rates above 20%, which means there are likely to be a lot of borrowers out there paying over the odds to get large deals done”.

Many of them would prefer to work through an intermediary if it meant accessing competitive rates, sensible structures, and the reassurance of a regulated environment. But too often, these clients don’t realise that specialist banks can support loans at this scale, or that intermediaries have the relationships to make them happen.

These are the types of deal where intermediaries really demonstrate their value. By understanding the nuances of the deal, how the client holds their assets, what the intended exit is, and how fast they need to move, intermediaries can match borrowers with lenders that will take a more informed, case-by-case view. That could involve part-serviced interest structures to manage cash flow, bridging loans with optional extensions, or underwriting that accommodates layered corporate or offshore ownership.

The key is collaboration. These are not plug-and-play cases; they require time, trust, and transparency between intermediary and lender. But when that alignment is there, large loans can be completed quickly and efficiently, even when there’s complexity involved.

It’s also worth remembering that many of these borrowers are repeat players. Entrepreneurs, portfolio landlords, and private investors may not borrow often, but when they do, they need the right result. An intermediary who can deliver that once is likely to be their first call next time.

So while the Financial Times article rightly highlights the rise in private wealth lending, it also raises an important question for the market: are we doing enough to meet demand in this space through more accessible, structured, and transparent channels?

From what I see, there’s a growing number of intermediaries who absolutely are, and there’s a growing number of lenders such as GB Bank who are ready to work with them.