Connect strengthens commercial lending team

By Bridging Loan Directory 4th September 2018

Connect for Intermediaries has appointed a commercial lending specialist to boost the strength of its commercial team. Gareth Norman joins Connect this month from Atom bank where he was a BDM; before that he spent nine years at HSBC specialising in commercial banking.

Connect for Intermediaries is renowned for being one of the leading specialists in both commercial and buy-to-let mortgages. Broker demand for commercial mortgage help has increased not only in Connect’s network but also its packaging arm. Gareth’s appointment will strengthen its commercial team, providing a wealth of experience to help brokers place commercial deals that they may not previously have felt qualified or comfortable to do. Gareth’s background means that he has lending experience and also has a degree in banking, to help brokers find their way through the mire that can be commercial lending.

Gareth’s role will be to provide extra help and support to all brokers faced with clients who need a commercial mortgage. He will deal with commercial mortgages of all sizes but is particularly expert in more complex deals of £1million plus or management-buy-outs that involve the purchase or sale of a commercial property. He is also an expert in helping clients who own their own company who may need to utilise their commercial property to enable company growth or improve their cash flow position.

The aim of Connect and of Gareth is to help brokers not only with the deal that they feel out of their depth on, but also those they could do themselves, but which it would save them time and stress to pass across while still receiving a proc fee. The aim is always to provide expert support which will increase the amount of time that a broker can spend with their clients, while providing peace of mind that their commercial mortgage is in safe hands and they can continue to do any cross selling that they would have done.

Gareth will also be offering master classes to brokers from Connect’s offices in Essex, on the ins and outs of commercial lending, to further understanding and enable them to give better advice.

Gareth Norman said:

“I want to give both brokers and their clients the very best experience. I know that I will be able to increase the completion rate of commercial mortgages especially for those clients with companies or more complex commercial needs.

“Connect’s independence and the incredibly broad range of lenders that it works with means that we can find the perfect product every time. My aim has always been to create a situation where everyone wins and I will only ever place a deal that will be an advantage to the client. My aim is to enhance the broker’s reputation with their client, save them time and worry, achieve a higher level of completions than they may otherwise have been able to achieve, and enable them to see more clients than they would otherwise be able to.”

Liz Syms, CEO of Connect for Intermediaries said:

“Gareth’s addition to our strong commercial team will mean that we can provide brokers with assistance even for the most complex commercial cases. Connect is already well known for providing brokers with expert help and advice for commercial and buy-to-let mortgages. Gareth’s appointment will mean that we can take this one step further again.”