Metro Bank
CREDIT APPROVED WITHIN 48 HOURS — FASTER THAN USUAL
hen husband and wife team
Kevin and Julie Doan established their Multea Choice Taiwanese bubble tea business in London in 2020, little did they expect that by 2025 there would be nine cafes around the capital, plus another one in the Netherlands.
Operating on a franchise model, the team is always searching for new premises, and with rents in London remaining high, they decided to investigate the possibility of a freehold purchase of their existing rented site in New Malden.
It was a huge leap for Kevin and Julie, who had never considered taking out a commercial loan before.
Mike Singh, commercial banking manager at Metro Bank commented: “The company was paying £32,000 rent on their current lease, which was due to increase to £36,000 this year. This was the primary reason they wanted to buy.
We worked closely with Kevin and Julie and their broker team to help them purchase the freehold of their premises which they’ve been operating out of for the last five years.
We structured a £220,000 loan with a 25year amortisation profile at a fixed rate of 8.06%. The LTV is less than 50%.”
Mike added: “Kevin and Julie appreciated that we offered 10% overpayments per year at no extra cost. I think they really valued our expertise and the speed with which we organised the loan, in particular credit approval within 48 hours which is faster than usual.”
Multea Choice owner Kevin Doan said: “We were really impressed with the overall experience working with Metro Bank. The credit process was seamless, and we truly appreciated Mike’s dedication throughout.”
Building relationships
Financing the freehold means Multea Choice can expect a 43% cost saving per year, which can be ploughed back into the business. The company is now looking to replicate the model for further store openings in the future.
Kevin added: “The flexibility of the offer allowed us to meet our business needs, and the relationship support from Metro Bank has been exceptional. We’re also very grateful to Aaron from Kocab Wealth Management for recommending Metro Bank to us. His guidance and insight were invaluable in connecting us with the right partner for our business needs.”
Mike Singh
Atelier
15 NEW HOMES IN YORKSHIRE
Loan size: £5.1m
Loan term: 24-months
LTV and/or GDV: 70%
Reason for the loan/loan use: To fund the construction of 15 homes in a sought-after village location in Yorkshire Exit plan: Sale
Broker/borrower, or any relevant parties involved: Arranged directly with our borrower; this is the second scheme we have funded with them
Raj Hothi
General transaction details: The new homes will comprise a mix of properties, including private sales and an element of affordable and first homes, which will address strong local demand for family housing.
This is our second transaction with an accomplished property developer, with the previous scheme proving to be highly successful with the development completing on time, on plan, and on budget.
Comments from parties within the transaction: “We were pleased to support our client on another high-quality project. With this loan, it was important to move quickly — and our team worked at pace to structure a facility that gave them the flexibility and cost-efficiency they needed. We look forward to seeing the development take shape over the coming months — Raj Hothi, lending manager
“After delays in gaining planning, we were keen to get on site as quickly as possible. Having worked with Atelier before, we knew they could move quickly — and they didn’t disappoint. The terms were strong, and the variable rate means we’ll benefit immediately from any reductions in the base rate, which we expect to see over the next 18 months. It’s great to be working with the team at Atelier on another project.”
— Darran Clemmit, PDS Construction
Octane
£5.9M DEVELOPER EXIT LOAN
Octane Capital has completed a £5.9m exit facility at 75% LTV, secured against two recently completed new-build development sites in Ealing and Wood Green. The deal was executed in just 11 working days.
Across both sites, the developer had already sold three units, with six remaining. They required a fast refinance to repay their development lender.
Octane’s loan released £5.28m net on day-one—enough to clear the existing lender’s outstanding debt and provide the developer with additional breathing room to market and sell the remaining units.
Crucially, the facility also enabled a substantial capital raise to support the acquisition of a new site—land with planning permission for a 30-unit block, which the developer intends to sell to a housing association upon completion. Developers are often reliant on completing sales before funding their next scheme, but in this case, Octane’s solution provided upfront capital to secure the onward purchase ahead of unit sales concluding.
The loan carried a 1.5% arrangement fee, no exit fees, and was priced at 0.4% per month plus the Bank of England Base Rate (equating to 0.78% per month at the time of writing). As with all Octane facilities, the pricing automatically adjusts if the base rate changes mid-loan term.
The loan was originated by Justin Cooper, senior BDM, and underwritten by Rick Hollingsworth, head of short term credit. The valuation was completed by James Perris of Devilliers Chartered Surveyors, with legal support from Seray Kitchingman and her team at Weightmans.
Justin commented::
“We were approached by our broker partner, Capital Advisory Partners, with a request to refinance their client’s two recently completed development sites. The client had a hard deadline to meet for their onward purchase and had been let down by another lender.
Rick took personal responsibility for the case, instructing legals and valuation the same day. Together with our legal team, we drove the loan to completion within 11 working days—a full 24 hours ahead of the deadline.”
Justin Cooper
MS Lending Group
MAY CASE STUDY
Loan Size: £1,425,000
Loan Term: 12 months
LTV: 52.2%
Reason for loan: Purchase of a large commercial building as part of a corporate share purchase
Location: Berkshire
Exit plan: The client will be exiting the deal via refinance
Time to fund: 2 weeks
Broker/Borrower/Relevant parties: Underwriter, Sam Bryce
General background details about the transaction/property: Our client, whom we have worked with on several occasions, approached us as they were looking to proceed with the purchase of a fully tenanted, large commercial building as part of a corporate share purchase.
This was a naturally more complex transaction, and the client needed to move quickly to avoid losing their deposit.
As with everything we do, our team assessed the case on its individual merits and found a tailored solution for the client, using an existing valuation and securing the loan against both the primary asset and additional commercial property within the client’s portfolio.
This case highlights why our clients return to MS Lending Group, with our commitment to finding fast and flexible solutions they can rely on to get them moving when time is critical.
Comments from parties within the transaction: We arranged additional funding secured against an unencumbered property in our client’s portfolio, and in true MS Lending Group fashion, were able to save the client's deposit and complete the transaction in just a couple of weeks - Sam Bryce
Fairbridge Capital
17 NEW-BUILD RESIDENTIAL DWELLINGS IN KENT
At Fairbridge Capital, we understand that in bridging finance, timing is everything. So, when an experienced property developer came to us with an urgent request for a £3.55m development exit loan, we acted quickly to deliver.
The developer had completed a high-quality scheme of 17 new-build residential dwellings in Kent, primarily three-storey, four-bedroom terraced townhouses with integral garages, with a total market value of £7.1m.
Understanding the time-sensitive nature of the deal, the team at Fairbridge Capital acted proactively to ensure a swift turnaround. To expedite the process further, an existing valuation report was retyped, and both the valuer and our solicitors were instructed the following day. This approach allowed the legal process to progress while we awaited the valuation report, enabling completion on 13th May 2025, just five working days from the point at which credit-backed terms were issued and accepted.
This deal is a perfect example of what Fairbridge Capital does best: acting decisively, working collaboratively, and delivering solutions when speed matters most.
The case was handled by co-director Dalian Gill, who managed the process throughout.
Dalian Gill
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