Assetz Capital has secured a new £150 million funding facility from Cambridge & Counties Bank.
The deal expands Assetz Capital’s institutional funding marketplace and marks Cambridge & Counties Bank’s first large-scale partnership with a third-party lender.
According to independent research from the Home Builders Federation, access to development finance is an increasing challenge for SME housebuilders, with the proportion of developers citing finance as a major barrier rising from 33% to 39% in the past year.
Since its launch in 2013, Assetz Capital has deployed more than £1.7bn in property-secured lending, funding the building of 7,700 new homes, around one in every twelve homes built by SME housebuilders.
The addition of Cambridge & Counties Bank to its institutional funding marketplace expands the capital available to SME developers and strengthens the platform’s capacity to support housing projects across the UK.
Stuart Law (pictured), CEO of Assetz Capital, said: “This partnership with Cambridge & Counties Bank is another major endorsement of the quality, scale, and stability of the platform that we’ve built over the past decade and more. Our performance through cycles, particularly during CBILS delivery, has shown that Assetz Capital is a safe and efficient platform for institutions to deploy capital into UK housing. Borrowers will now benefit from an even deeper and diverse institutionally funded marketplace with a full product suite for all property backed transactions. Our funding doesn’t just take property entrepreneurs through the lifecycle of a project. We also support them from their early days right through to scaling into joining the ranks of the nation’s SME housebuilders and delivering dozens to hundreds of new homes a year.”
Sarah Barker, chief commercial officer at Cambridge & Counties Bank, added: “We are delighted to be working with Assetz Capital, a proven specialist in SME residential development lending with a deep understanding of regional markets. This facility is a first for Cambridge & Counties as we look to expand our support for the UK property market, working with others to who share our relationship-based approach. Assetz Capital’s disciplined underwriting and track record of delivery make them an ideal partner to help us scale our impact in this critical sector.”
Andrew Fraser, chief commercial officer at Assetz Capital, commented: “Broadening our institutional funding marketplace through this partnership strengthens our ability to support more developers and fund more homes. Ensuring brokers and SME housebuilders have access to competitive, stable capital is essential, particularly in a market where consistency of funding can be difficult to secure. Cambridge & Counties Bank’s regional understanding and commitment to UK-based lending aligns closely with our focus on supporting developers throughout the development process. For brokers and developers, this represents an additional, reliable source of UK-based capital to help bring forward new housing.”
