Paragon Bank has appointed Swaraj Dada as head of bridging credit and Kate Cooper as senior bridging underwriter as it builds its new bridging finance team ahead of a wider market launch.
The appointments strengthen the specialist team being assembled by Colin Sanders, managing director of bridging finance, as Paragon prepares to expand its property lending proposition into the bridging market.
Dada (main picture, right) brings 16 years of banking experience, including 12 years in credit, and most recently helped build AFIN Bank from inception through to launch.
He was previously part of the team that established Recognise Bank and has also held roles at RBS and Unity Trust Bank.
CREDIT AND UNDERWRITING
As head of bridging credit, Dada will oversee lending and credit activity across the new proposition, including credit policy, risk management, underwriting and portfolio oversight.
Cooper (main picture, left) returns to Paragon having previously worked within its mortgages division between 2015 and 2019.
She joins from BIG Property Finance, where she worked with the management team on the growth of its bridging business, and brings more than a decade of specialist property finance experience.
Before entering specialist finance, Cooper spent eight years at West Bromwich Building Society. She has worked in bridging for the past six years.
The new bridging finance proposition will sit alongside Paragon’s established development finance and SME lending businesses within its commercial lending division.
‘BUILDING THE RIGHT TEAM’
Sanders says: “Building the right team is fundamental to our ambition of creating the most trusted specialist bridging lender in the market.
“Swaraj and Kate both bring significant experience, deep technical expertise and a genuine understanding of what brokers and customers need from a bridging lender.
“As the market evolves, customers are placing greater importance on certainty, transparency and dependable delivery. These appointments strengthen our ability to provide exactly that.”
Dada adds: “Throughout my career I’ve been drawn to opportunities where I can help build something from the ground up.
“Having helped establish and scale several banking businesses, the opportunity to join Paragon and help create a new bridging proposition was a natural next step.
“The market is increasingly looking for credibility, reliability and lenders that do what they say they will do.
“Paragon’s reputation for integrity and sustainability gives us a unique opportunity to bring greater confidence to the bridging sector, while building a proposition that supports customers and brokers for years to come.”
‘BRIDGING IS INCREASINGLY MAINSTREAM’
Cooper says: “What attracted me to Paragon was the opportunity to be part of a new proposition from day one, while working for a business with an outstanding reputation and heritage in specialist lending.
“I’ve worked in bridging finance for the past six years and have seen the market mature significantly.
“Today, bridging is a genuine and increasingly mainstream funding solution for property professionals.
“Having a trusted and established bank like Paragon entering the sector helps reinforce that evolution and raises confidence in the market as a whole.”
