Member Article

Challenger bank moves to Sheffield as it breaks into Northern SME market

Leicester-based Cambridge & Counties Bank is set to break into the Northern SME market by establishing an office in Sheffield.

The 2 year old challenger bank appointed its first business development manager for the North earlier this year. Senior business development manager Carl Ashley lives with his family in Rotherham.

The bank, which has already lent more than £235 million to SMEs, is developing its presence in South Yorkshire, taking an office suite in Sheffield and appointing a second member of staff, Wendy Burton-Webster, to target the North.

The office at the Quadrant Business Centre off Sheffield’s Parkway close to the city centre will spearhead the Bank’s lending to SMEs in the city, Yorkshire and beyond.

Carl, who like Wendy worked for Yorkshire Bank for more than 28 years, said: “Sheffield is an ideal and well-connected location for us to service new and existing business customers in South Yorkshire and the North of England.

“The city has a great network of business advisers and brokers, plus a bustling SME sector and we are already plugged into that professional community. Businesses need funding and we exist to provide that in a ‘can do’ way.

“An incredible 99% of customers say they would recommend Cambridge & Counties Bank. From our new office in South Yorkshire we hope many more local SMEs will find out why our customers are so impressed with the service we provide.”

The Bank opened for business in June 2012 from its Leicester headquarters, first concentrating on the East Midlands and East Anglian markets.

Now the Bank is also focusing on the North, seeking small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) who want a straightforward and quick lending alternative to unwilling mainstream banks.

Offering loans to local SMEs, commercial property investors and experienced residential landlords, the majority of loan decisions made by the Bank go through within 48 hours.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .