Issuu

HOPE- FULL

RATE REVOLUTION

Our biggest ever rate drop

KICK STARTING THE YEAR WITH COUNTLESS RECORDS

Our most successful period to date

CELEBRATING OUR ELITE WOMEN

Not one, but three winners

Editor’s Note

his quarter has been a record-breaking one for our team, with February being our best month to date! Take a look at page 6-7 to see a collection of company milestones that we’re truly proud of.

So, what led to this success? Firstly, we streamlined our proposition through introducing the Rate Revolution, which offers flat rates across the board, giving our brokers and borrowers even more affordable options to take advantage of. Secondly, we’ve completed a number of major deals since the start of 2025, with some of our favourite case studies from this quarter highlighted in the magazine. And most importantly, this achievement is thanks to our incredible team, who continue to go above and beyond to help us reach new heights.

As we move into Q2 of 2025, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support. We hope you enjoy the read!

EMILY CROWE Senior Marketing & PR Executive

P4-P5 Rate Revolution

Our biggest ever rate drop with flat rates across our bridging range

P6-P7 Kick starting the year with countless records

Celebrated with a much-deserved team night out

P8-P9 Learn more about our quarterly recognition scheme

How we choose our Star of Hope’s

P10-P11 Congratulations to our Star of Hope winners

Meet the Q1 2025 champions

P12-P13 Celebrating our Elite Women

Proud to once again be recognised by Mortgage Introducer

P14 Meet our industry hero

Much-deserved recognition for our talented CFO

P15 Proud to work in partnership with Brickflow

Expanding our reach as a modern lender

P16-P17 Helping our borrowers beat the stamp duty deadline

Our fastest residential bridging loan

P18-P19 myHOPE updates

More enhancements to support our long service employees

P20-P21 Celebrating key milestones

Join us in celebrating and recognising our longest serving employees

P22 Meet our newbies

A very warm welcome to the newest members of the team

P23 The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Honoured to support the Sunshine Group breast cancer charity

P24-P27 Another quarter of great deals

Turning challenges into success stories with Hope Capital

P28-P29 Out and about

Find out what we’ve been up to

Our biggest ever rate drop with flat rates across our bridging range

We kick-started 2025 with some exciting news for our brokers and borrowers. Not only did we launch our biggest ever rate drop, but whereas our rates were previously priced depending on the specific deal and the level of works, we now offer flat rates across our entire bridging range.

Not only does it ensure our borrowers can capitalise on even better competitive options, but it also revolutionises our offering altogether. We appreciate there is nothing more frustrating than lenders

who say, ‘rates from’. Our new offering is clear, without any misleading jargon, so brokers immediately know what their clients can benefit from in terms of rates and LTVs.

Whether working with developers to transform houses into HMOs, delivering ultra-fast funding for auction purchases, rejuvenating properties or stepping in when extra resources have been needed on our finish & exit or development exit cases – our new offering has certainly made a mark in the market!

Kick starting the year with countless records

Celebrated with a much-deserved team night out

Our loan book has grown by 15.6% since the end of 2024

Celebrated our best month in business since June 2023, with a 45.3% increase in comparison to our last record

There has been a 41% reduction in default loans since the same period last year

Completions for February doubled compared to what was forecasted, with an additional 108% of completions achieved

Some of the Hope Capital team

Now that’s how you start the year! To be able to say we have achieved a series of record-breaking periods within a couple of months, is a tremendous accomplishment.

Our growth has no doubt accelerated due to the strategy we have implemented over the last year, which has focused on ensuring we are delivering reliable, transparent and competitive products to meet market demand, while having the most

effective processes in place and a team who have the knowledge and expertise to provide a second-to-none service.

Thanks to our continuous product innovation and the continued hard work and support of the team and our partners, the business continues to go from strength to strength. To mark this milestone, it was of course only right to celebrate in style, which is why we hosted another great team night out a lavish Italian

restaurant based in Liverpool City Centre.

Moving forward, we of course want to continue to grow our success, while also ensuring our brokers and borrowers can access competitive options. We have several exciting product launches in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled over the next quarter!

Throughout the year, the Star of Hope award alternates between two categories: Managers Choice and Employee’s Choice. The difference? Managers Choice is selected Hope winners in 2024 and can’t wait to celebrate the 2025 champions throughout the year.

Q1 2024

Steph Kinsella People Support Team

Q3 2024

Cheryl Smyth Underwriting Team

Q4 2024

Michelle Powell Portfolio Management Team

Q2 2024

Sarah Matthews Portfolio Management Team

Q4 2024

David Weir Sales Team

Annual 2024

Sam Lea Sales Team

Always happy to help, goes above and beyond to ensure that all parties are happy. He’s not afraid to volunteer himself for various tasks and picks up the phone willingly when things are not clear. Always grateful for your help Chris!

Always forthcoming to support underwriters by updating brokers and clients by phone and email to manage expectations and even if not, his deal will offer his support.

Always willing to help everyone and provide his opinion/insights if it will help. He’s a pleasure to work with.

He deserves to win Star of Hope because he is brilliant at his job, goes the extra mile to support with any questions or issues on deals, always willing to step in to speak to brokers if need be and just a really nice person to work with.

Congratulations Star of Hope Meet the Q1 2025

After seeing our 2024 Star of Hope wall of fame, it’s huge congratulations is in order for

Their colleagues had a lot of nice things to say about have earned

Chris Grierson Business Development Executive

Congratulations to our Hope winners 2025 champions

it’s now time to announce the winners of Q1 2025! A for Chris Grierson and Daisy Howard.

about Chris and Daisy, take a look at why we think they earned this award!

Daisy Howard Graphic & Web Designer

Daisy is an absolute ray of sunshine. She is positive, funny and always comes in to work with a can-do attitude. Aside from being excellent at her day job which we can all see in the marketing material produced, she will also help anyone with anything, from helping with visitors and making tea and coffee to helping with document editing. She is a pleasure to be around and I think a very deserving star of Hope.

Daisy always works exceptionally hard to support the business. From balancing multiple tasks, she never complains and is a pleasure to work with.

For her fantastic marketing ideas and positive can do attitude, Also every time there are stakeholders in the office is very welcoming and hospitable!

Daisy embodies integrity, approaching everything she does with honesty and a strong sense of purpose. She’s incredibly flexible, always ready to adapt and find innovative solutions, making even the toughest challenges feel exciting.

Celebrating our

Proud to once again be recognised

What better way to start the year with not one, but three award wins! We’re extremely proud to announce our Operations & Finance Manager, Charlotte Holt, CFO, Kate Cowan and Head of Sales, Kim Parker have all been recognised as leading women in the financial sector for their achievements and dedication to diversity and inclusion.

The Elite Women Award, established by Mortgage Introducer receives hundreds of applications each year, with the winners selected for their

work in overcoming and achieving notable milestones. To therefore award is a tremendous

The achievement is significant for Kate the award for the third year, after being named Woman in 2024 and

Identifying and celebrating who are not only changing economic landscape, playing their part in

Charlotte Holt Operations & Finance Manager

Kate Cowan CFO

Cowan CFO

Kim Parker Head of Sales

our Elite Women

recognised by Mortgage

overcoming gender barriers notable professional therefore win this tremendous achievement. is particularly who has received third consecutive named an Elite and 2023. celebrating women changing the landscape, but also in removing the

Introducer

glass ceiling is incredibly important. The Elite Women report is the first of its kind in the mortgage sector, and takes a broader approach, not only focusing on female-founded firms, but capturing a more diverse group of companies and telling a richer story. We’re unbelievably proud of Charlotte, Kate and Kim who thoroughly deserve this recognition for their hard work and determination.

Meet our industry hero

Much-deserved recognition for our talented CFO

The past year has been a remarkable one for our CFO, Kate Cowan. From being a finalist multiple times to bringing home the gold, we couldn’t be prouder of Kate and all she’s accomplished. Here are some of Kate’s proudest moments from the last year:

Mortgage Introducer

Elite Woman 2023, 2024 & 2025

Global CFO Excellence Awards

Bridging Finance Solutions CFO of the Year (UK) Award 2023 & 2024

Financial Reporter Brokers Choice Awards

Business Leader of the Year 2024

Regional Business Awards

Businesswoman of the Year 2024

Bridging & Commercial Power List 2024 Finalist! Finalist! Finalist!

North West Leadership Awards

Diversity & Inclusion Leader 2024

Finance Awards North West

Finance Director of the Year 2024

Not forgetting, Kate was also a proud judge in the Financial Reporter, Women’s Recognition Awards 2024 and Bridging & Commercial Awards 2025.

Proud to work in partnership with Brickflow

Expanding our reach as a modern lender

Making sure we’re visible and easily accessible to brokers is key, and our recent partnership with Brickflow will significantly improve our ability to not only connect with brokers but also showcase the fantastic range of products we offer.

Through an easy-to-use portal, brokers will be able to set specific criteria based

on their borrowers’ requirements, which will then match them with the most suitable lender who can meet those needs.

It is fantastic to join forces with Brickflow and have another platform to showcase our innovative product range for brokers who are looking for a flexible and ultrafast bridging finance provider.

Helping our borrowers beat the stamp duty deadline

Our fastest residential bridging loan

Quick decision-making is crucial in the short-term market. We’ve been operating in the bridging market for over 13 years now and are no rookie when it comes to not just providing speed but also being a reliable lender who gets the deal across the line.

That said, we are always looking for ways to enhance our product range and ensure we are providing value, which is why this quarter, we introduced a fasttrack underwriting team, comprising the brilliant Emily Bell, Sasha EhlkeWest and Stacey Bradwell.

Having access to a fast-track team was particularly beneficial in the lead up to the stamp duty deadline, especially coupled with the range of key features we offer including offering dual representation and instant valuations.

From January to February 2025, a 20% increase in our faster completion times, on top of a 40% jump from previous year. Thanks to the amazing efforts of our team, we were able fast-track countless deals, helping our borrowers get the solutions needed right on time.

That said, just because the stamp deadline has passed, there will continue to be an influx of borrowers who have an appetite to transact quickly. Good job our fast-track underwriting team are on standby ensure those who are looking to with shorter timescales to maximise yields and opportunities can get job done.

2025, we saw completion from the amazing able to helping solutions they stamp duty still borrowers transact fast-track standby to to invest maximise get the

Our wonderful Graphic & Web Designer, Daisy tied the knot

More enhancements

One of the key things Hope Capital special This is why we’re always ways to enhance benefits scheme, the last quarter being

As well as celebrating 10 year long service we are delighted has been extended 15 and 20-year anniversaries as well! This change our company’s timeline, anticipation of achieving milestone for Jonathan Laura Carr, Pauline Steve Sealey….

Jonathan and Ben both welcomed beautiful baby boys. Welcome Leo and Michael!

myHOPE updates

enhancements to support our long service employees

things that makes special is the people. always looking for our wellbeing and myHOPE, with being no exception.

celebrating our 3, 5 and service milestones, to announce this extended to recognise anniversaries now change aligns with timeline, and in achieving the next Jonathan Sealey, Pauline O’Gorman and

In addition, Hope Capital’s past year wasn’t just full of professional milestones, but personal ones too.

As of last year, we introduced an extra day’s holiday to ensure our team have all the time they need to celebrate significant milestones. This includes those in the team who have purchased their first home or tied the knot - we think personal milestones deserve to be celebrated just as much as work ones!

This quarter, we also introduced a ‘Wellness Window’, meaning once a month, our team can take an extended break around lunchtime.

Appreciating that life gets really busy and sometimes there is just not enough hours in the day, the two hour window is there for our team to use in whatever way is helpful to them.

From meeting a friend for lunch, going to the gym, getting some steps in or do some shopping - we want our team to take some time back for all the hard work and effort everyone puts in on a daily basis!

Andy, Charlotte, Ryan and Sarah unlocked exciting milestones by purchasing their first homes

Celebrating key

Join us in celebrating and recognising

The last quarter gave us three exciting milestones to celebrate with our team with David Weir, Kim Parker and Sam Lea all celebrating 3 years at Hope Capital. David celebrated his anniversary early in the year and we took some time to reflect on some of our largest and most complex deals that David played a vital role in facilitating. This anniversary also granted us an excellent opportunity to once again recognise David’s much-deserved promotion to National Account Manager.

Our next milestone celebrations on the same day, with Kim of Sales, and Sam Lea, our Manager, both starting journeys together. In the with us, they’ve achieved

Firstly, Kim has been driving forward through exceptional resulting in her promotion last year. Her latest achievements earned her the Elite Woman Mortgage Introducer.

David Weir

Kim Parker

key milestones

recognising our long serving employees

celebrations happened Kim Parker, our Head our National Account starting their Hope Capital the 3 years they’ve been achieved incredible success.

driving the business exceptional strategy, promotion to Head of Sales achievements have also Woman 2025 title by

Sam has had a similar success, with his welldeserved promotion to National Account Manager, not forgetting in the last year, being declared as our Annual Star of Hope winner of 2024.

Having these three seasoned professionals in our sales team is hugely important to us and we are so proud to celebrate these milestones with them. We are looking forward to more milestones coming up throughout the rest of the year.

Parker Sam Lea

Meet our newbies

A

very warm welcome to the newest members

Alicia Alty Sales Administrator

Tom Gerrard

Business Development Executive

Taking on new starters is always exciting for us as it signifies our growth as a business.

In the last quarter we were pleased to welcome four incredibly talented individuals to our team with Alicia Alty joining as Sales Administrator, Sophie O’Neil as a Portfolio Case Manager,

of the team

Sophie O’Neil Portfolio Case Manager

Tracey Jones Finance Assistant

Tom Gerrard as a BDE and lastly Tracey Jones as Finance Assistant.

Our new starters bring a wealth of experience to the team, and with this latest round of hiring, we’re so proud to announce that in the past two years we’ve expanded by an impressive 39%.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Honoured to support the Sunshine Group breast cancer charity

What a privilege it was to attend the presentation of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service this quarter. Daisy Howard, Jonathan Sealey and Sarah Butler were honoured to be invited by the Sunshine Group to celebrate the amazing achievements made by Ann Coffey and the incredible volunteers.

This prestigious honour is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK and having worked with Ann for several years now, we can’t think of anyone more deserving.

It was an extremely special moment to see His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Mark FW Blundell present Ann with the crystal award.

The work the volunteers do at the Sunshine Group to support women who are going through breast cancer from diagnosis, before, during and after treatment, is extraordinary. A huge congratulations from everyone at Hope Capital.

Jonathan Sealey, Sarah Butler, Ann Coffey, The Lord-Lieutenant Mr Mark Blundell, Daisy Howard

Jonathan Sealey, Ann Coffey, The LordLieutenant Mr Mark Blundel

Members of the Sunshine Group with The Lord-Lieutenant Mr Mark Blundel

Another quarter Turning challenges into success

A rapid redemption and an even faster underwrite

The first of our many recent success stories was put together by one of our National Account Managers, Sam Lea, and broker, Sophie Owen of Pure Property Finance.

The borrower, Roger Goodwin, had purchased a property and converted it into an HMO under permitted development rights. However, delays in attaining a refinance option necessitated an interim solution to retain the property within their portfolio. Hope Capital’s involvement enabled the borrower to secure a 12-month term, providing much needed time during the transition. Owing to an ultra-fast decision being paramount, we pulled

out all the stops to deliver a 5-working day turnaround.

Our underwriter, Andrew Bate, demonstrated his ability to adapt, by utilising a desktop valuation despite the property falling outside our standard criteria, as well as use of title insurance and no upfront legal undertaking. This approach highlighted our capacity to apply pragmatic and commonsense driven solutions, ensuring the borrower’s needs were met within a short timeframe. Once the deal had completed, the borrower contacted our case manager, Michelle, after just 7 weeks to organise an early redemption.

quarter of great deals success stories with Hope Capital

Collaboration helps navigate complex deal with tight deadline

In this case, speed was the top priority. We were contacted on behalf of a borrower needing an ultra-fast turnaround for a commercial rebridge. With their existing lender refusing to extend the term and an earlier refinancing attempt falling through, securing a new bridging lender quickly was crucial to avoid default and costly fees.

Upon receiving the necessary information, our BDE, Chris Grierson and National Account Manager Sam Lea quickly presented two tailored options. Once a solution was chosen, they worked closely to prepare everything for Underwriter Stacey

Bradwell to take the reins. Stacey moved fast, instructing solicitors and valuers the very next day, leveraging full title insurance, and working collaboratively with the broker and solicitors, Gunnercooke, to keep the deal on track In the end, we delivered a £287k commercial loan at 60% LTV in just 21 days, resulting in one very satisfied client.

The success stories

The refinance of a development in Greater Manchester was a complex deal requiring agility and expertise

Initially, the borrower planned to refinance 4 out of 7 residential units with Hope Capital, while another lender would refinance the remaining three. However, unexpected last-minute changes meant that a full-site refinance provided by Hope Capital was required instead.

Our fantastic Senior Underwriter, Andrew Bate, quickly adapted the structure of the deal, ensuring the entire site could be refinanced under one £1.38m facility rather than with multiple lenders. This provided

the borrower with greater financial flexibility and a streamlined exit strategy, as they can now work with our portfolio management team to redeem on one facility, saving time and hassle.

This case study demonstrates our ability to navigate last-minute changes and deliver tailored solutions that support borrowers’ long-term goals.

stories didn’t stop there

Funding 100% purchase price with large loans

The final case that we would like to shine a spotlight on involved a semi-commercial property that presented a lucrative investment opportunity due to its prime London location. The borrower sought to capitalise on this potential, but structuring the deal to maximise returns required a strategic approach from our National Account Manager, David Weir.

The loan was structured at 70% LTV; however, the borrower was able to leverage another asset within this deal. With the additional security provided, we

were able to fund 100% of the £3.8 million purchase price. A key aspect of the transaction was the title split, executed at the point of completion, allowing the borrower to immediately enhance the property’s market value.

During the underwriting process for a deal of this size, streamlined procedures are imperative for both parties to achieve a quicker completion. Our Senior Underwriter, Andrew Bate, worked closely with MSB Solicitors, who played a pivotal role in facilitating the transaction.