"This is a new year with a set of new challenges to overcome and these changes to our board structure are the first step."
On the expanded management term, current members CEO Tony Gilbertson and finance director David Hughes are bolstered by legal director Thomas Howells, national development director Paul Tromans, and operations director Trevor Melly.
Tony Gilbertson said: “We cannot rest on our laurels, despite the great year the whole team delivered last year in what were very tough market conditions. This is a new year with a set of new challenges to overcome and these changes to our board structure are the first step.
“Signature remained open for business throughout the lockdowns, ensuring we supported our clients with the funds they needed, when they needed them.
“Our commitment to delivering deals at drawdown on the terms agreed at the outset, with last minute nasty surprises, won us a lot of plaudits and we now intend to build on that success.
“This board contains a huge amount of experience, across all the necessary aspects of short-term property finance, to not only bring deals together, but to develop new products and services that reflect the changing needs of our clients.
“We have a short decision process for deals and product development. If it works for our clients and gives them a competitive advantage in the market, then we’re prepared to create, develop and release products to market quickly – our first new product will be out this month.
“With the vaccines being rolled out and the post-Brexit economy performing better than predicted, we’re optimistic about the property sector in 2021 and will ensure our clients have the tools to take advantage, safe in the knowledge at least one bridging lender is ready to get deals done.”
Finance director, David Hughes, commented: “The market has changed for obvious reasons. What brokers and their clients want is a range of finance products that can be tailored to their exact needs and the deal they are hoping to put together. We have that range and we are adding to it.
“This enhanced management team spreads the responsibility and ensures we are agile and more responsive to the demands of our clients, to say nothing of developing an offering more attractive to prospective clients seeking a reliable source of funding.
“We’ve listened to the market and acted accordingly. Unlike many lenders, our LTV are based on Open Market Values, not 180-day valuations, which means we’re confident we will achieve more funds from a clients’ property assets than most of our competitors.”
