Asset Advantage has expanded its internal operations team with two new hires as the SME lender responds to sustained demand for business finance.
The Basingstoke-based funder has appointed Hannah Berry as a payout administrator in its documents and payouts team, while Grace Walker joins the collections and recoveries team as a collections and recoveries administrator.
The appointments are intended to strengthen internal processes as the lender continues to see increasing demand from SMEs seeking finance.
Berry (pictured, left) will be responsible for preparing finance documentation and progressing agreements through to payout. She will work alongside underwriting and sales teams to help ensure transactions are processed efficiently and meet governance and compliance requirements, while overseeing the administration of finance agreements and payments to all relevant parties.
Walker (pictured, right) will oversee elements of the collections administration function, including monitoring incoming payments, supporting the management of overdue accounts and assisting with customer communications relating to outstanding balances.
She will also support operational reporting and due diligence activities, including credit searches and data analysis.
The hires form part of Asset Advantage’s wider growth strategy as it looks to support commercial finance brokers and SMEs across the UK.
Over the past 12 months the lender has made a number of appointments, introduced new products and invested in its systems and processes as it continues to expand its business finance offering.
Asset Advantage has been providing finance to SMEs for nearly two decades through asset finance and business loans, with funding available up to £500,000. The funding is used for a range of business purposes including hard and soft assets, business acquisitions and management buy-outs.
Gary Thompson, sales director at Asset Advantage, adds: “Hannah and Grace are two fantastic additions to our team and help strengthen two critical parts of our operation as we continue to execute our growth strategy and strengthen our proposition.
“The first quarter of this year has proven to be really busy with high demand among SMEs for flexible funding.
“Even with strong headwinds in the economy, our data suggests that this trend is only set to continue. It therefore makes real sense to bolster our team and bring new efficiencies to meet this demand and best support both SMEs and our broker partners.”
