Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has moved six staff into underwriting roles within its bridging finance division as brokers place more structured short-term cases tied to wider investment plans.
The lender said four business development executives and two internal lending managers had joined the underwriting team, in a move it said reflected the growing complexity of bridging cases and the need for earlier input in the deal process.
The changes follow the recent appointment of Henry Manley-Cooper as deputy managing director of HTB’s bridging finance division.
Alex Klimcke, Olivia Colmer-Lynch, George Leaver and Ross Sheppard have moved from business development executive roles, while Ella Hosier and Raj Aggarwal have stepped across from internal lending manager positions.
HTB said the appointments would bring more broker-facing experience into underwriting, at a time when bridging finance is increasingly being used as part of a broader, multi-stage investment strategy rather than as a standalone transaction.
Manley-Cooper (main picture) says: “Bridging is rarely a single transaction now.
“Brokers are structuring funding across multiple stages of a client’s investment strategy, which makes early clarity and alignment critical.
“Bringing team members into underwriting who already understand how these cases are built in practice means those conversations start earlier and are grounded in how deals are actually delivered.”
Alex Upton, managing director, specialist mortgages and bridging finance at Hampshire Trust Bank, adds: “Brokers need clarity, access and consistency when they are structuring more complex cases.
“Strengthening the underwriting team with people who already understand those conversations helps connect what is discussed upfront with how decisions are made.
“It means cases can be shaped earlier, with a clearer view of the full strategy, and handled with the context that comes from working closely with brokers and their clients every day. That’s where the difference really sits.”
