HOPE-FULL
Q3 2023
Q3 SUMMARISED FOR YOU
THE
FUTURE OF OUR ESG MEET OUR NEW STARTERS DISCOVER OUR LATEST PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS AWARD SUCCESS - ANOTHER TROPHY TO ADD TO THE CABINET
INTRODUCING OUR FIRST-EVER ESG REPORT
A WELCOME FROM YOUR EDITOR
D
ear readers,
It’s time to look back at a brand-new quarter! For those who read our debut issue, we hope you enjoyed hearing about everything we’d been up to in the last edition. This issue of HOPE-FULL does not disappoint. From marking our 12th year in business, celebrating our most successful period ever, simplifying our products and growing our team, the Q3 edition is certainly not to be missed! To everyone who has supported us in the last quarter, thank you for all your help. We couldn’t have achieved these accomplishments without you. So, we hope you enjoy our Q3 lookback – we’re delighted to share an insight into the world at Hope Capital…
Emily .C EMILY CROWE Senior Marketing & PR Executive
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www.hope-capital.co.uk hello@hope-capital.co.uk 0151 523 5998
CONTENTS 4-5
IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY:
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EVEN MORE REASONS TO CELEBRATE:
13 SHARING OUR EXPERTISE:
7 OUR SHINING STARS:
14 STRAIGHT TO THE POINT:
12 years is something to celebrate
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Our most successful period ever
Congratulations to our Star of Hope winners
OUR COMMITMENT GOES EVEN FURTHER:
Find out how were making a difference
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THE OSCARS:
Of bridging finance
A WARM WELCOME:
Meet our newest members
Semi-commercial is our bag
Our simplified products and rates
15 GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE: Sold!
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ON THE ROAD:
We’ve been out and about
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PROUD TO WORK WITH MSB:
Our partners are a key part of our success
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Jonathan Sealey and Steve Sealey
It’s our birthday: 12 years is something to celebrate
September marked many important things for us here at Hope Capital. Not only are we reflecting back on 12 years of remarkable growth and prosperity, but we also took the time to see how far we’ve come. What started as a small idea on a piece of paper that was scribbled in the office (or in Jonathan’s case, his kitchen), has grown into much more than anyone could have ever dreamed. We couldn’t have imagined the changes and opportunities which would come our way. This is most obvious by looking at our growth in the last
three years alone, which has seen us double our team, grow our business significantly and win many awards. Speaking about reaching 12 years in business, our CEO, Jonathan Sealey, had this to say: “Flexibility, adaptability, and innovation have always been at the core of Hope Capital”
us get to where we are today. Each day, our goal is to exceed our clients’ expectations and I’m so pleased we have been able to deliver this on so many occasions.” Bring on the next 12 years…
“To have successfully assisted so many brokers and borrowers, is something I could only have wished to achieve when I devised Hope Capital back in 2011. I’m extremely grateful to the brokers, borrowers and partners who have worked with us over the years and have helped 5
Even more reasons to celebrate: Our most successful period ever
The end of our Q3 meant three things: the winners of one of our employee recognition schemes, time to shout f rom the rooftops about our success to date this year and arguably most importantly, our annual summer party! In August, we announced that the first half of 2023 was our most successful period to date, with a series of impressive records reported. This was an unbelievable achievement for the Hope Capital team, where we pulled out all the stops to keep up with the surge of business which has been coming through the door. 6
This company milestone was down to the teamwork and involvement of every department from finance, people support, marketing, sales, underwriting and post completions to ensure that our brokers and borrowers could secure the solution they were looking for. Of course, when accomplishing such achievements, it’s only right to celebrate. With that in mind, to mark this fantastic accomplishment and 12 years in business, we hosted our annual summer party in September! Games, drinks, pizza, and some great comedy at the Hot Water
Comedy Club. It was an evening (and night) to remember! One of our team members, Sarah Butler, had this to say about the party… “It was a fantastic evening meeting up with the team and celebrating everything we have achieved. Events organised by the Social Committee are always great fun and a chance for us to get out of the office and have a laugh.”
Kim Parker, Jonathan Sealey, and Ryan Peers
Our shining stars: Congratulations to our latest winners Congratulations to our latest Star of Hope winners, our amazing Sales Team Manager, Kim, and one of our brilliant Underwriters, Ryan! Our ‘Star of Hope’ Award is a quarterly values recognition scheme, which is about celebrating and rewarding our people who consistently demonstrate and live our values. Both Kim and Ryan demonstrated outstanding performance in their individual roles and were nominated by their fellow colleagues.
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Our commitment goes even further: Find out how we’re making a difference You’ve had the pleasure of reading a few of our successes but it doesn’t end here. In the past year, Hope Capital has evolved, not just as a business, but as a company with a core purpose – to become a truly ESG purpose-driven organisation. We recently launched our first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
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report, becoming one of the first lenders in the industry to do so! The report provides a greater insight into how we manage ESG factors and what we set to achieve over the next year. It outlines several aspirations exploring energy performance products, creating further opportunities for our team
to support charitable causes, investing in our people, as well as introducing new policies and frameworks around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Some of the team with Fieldfisher
We’ve been striving towards a sustainable and equitable business since we were established in 2011 and have made various strides over the years to show our commitment to being more than just a bridging lender. In Q3, we hosted our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning and would like to give a big shout-out to our Hope Capital colleagues who continue to fundraise and find ways to support those in need.
We’ve also continued to sponsor local talent, and are proud to have sponsored Luke Riley, in his Cage Warriors win. Well done, Luke! A special thanks to Colleen Murphy, Jaclyn Tang, and Lousia Cuddy from Fieldfisher, for the invite to their Strictly event.
Some of the team at Hope Capital had the pleasure of joining 160 guests at Manchester Marriot Victoria & Albert Hotel to witness 8 teams compete in a 2.5-minute dance routine with all proceeds supporting the Manchester Youth Zone, as part of their One Firm Action initiative.
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The Oscars of bridging finance The team at Hope Capital recently had the pleasure of attending several specialist finance industry awards, where we proudly sponsored several award categories.
Sam Lea and David Weir
E VE N T SPONS OR
Jonathan Sealey, Laura Carr, Charlie Gregory, and David Weir
The B&C awards, mainly known as the Summer Spectacle, are a chance to recognise and celebrate 30 winners in the bridging, commercial, development and alternative finance industries. It was a pleasure to have sponsored the ESG award and be a finalist in the Service Excellence – Lender’s award. Congratulations to all of the winners! 10
Ella Hunter (JMW), Louisa Cuddy (Fieldfisher), Jaclyn Tang (Fieldfisher), Kim Parker, Kate Cowan, Kate Parrish (Glaisyers), Lauren Swanick (Brabners), Sarah Butler, and Christy Alokan
E VE N T SPONSO R
The Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Awards aims to support the growing momentum for a more diverse and equal financial services community. Hope Capital were proud to sponsor the Equality Employer of the Year award which we proudly won in 2019.
We round up our Q3 with another award WIN. We’re over the moon to have won Mortgage Introducer’s Top Mortgage Employer Award for the second year on the run. year, we were absolutely thrilled to Top Mortgage Employer Last be identified as one of the top places to work in the industry, but to win it two 2023 years on the bounce is something we are incredibly proud of.
A huge thank you to Mortgage Introducer for this recognition and to our amazing team who go above and beyond every single day!
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Hammad Abbasi Underwriting Coordinator
Ryan Carr Finance Partner
Sarah Matthews Portfolio Case Manager
Tom McAlister Marketing & Sales Assistant
A warm welcome: Meet our newest members
A warm welcome to our new starters this quarter, boosting our ranks in Underwriting with Hammad as Underwriting Coordinator and Finance with Ryan as Finance Partner.
In August we announced we had experienced a 40% increase in staff since the same period last year, following a series of new hires and promotions.
We’re extremely lucky to Also, adding to our efforts in boast one of the most Portfolio Management with talented and dedicated Sarah joining the team as teams in the bridging Portfolio Case Manager and finance sector. There’s a lot of Marketing, with Tom who is movement at Hope Capital at holding a brand-new position the moment, which is really as Marketing and Sales exciting and it’s great there Assistant. are so many developments happening across the board.
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We have plans to propel our growth strategy even more moving forward, so if you’d like to join our team or know someone who’d be interested, head over to our careers page to see what jobs are available!
Charlie Gregory
Sharing our expertise: Semi-commercial is our bag Our very own, Charlie Gregory, guest presented at the Knowledge Bank Criteria Clinic in October. Charlie shared his insights into semi-commercial bridging and our extensive product range. The Criteria Clinic invited a panel of industry figures from a cross-section of lenders to discuss the issues and topics that brokers are most concerned about. We were delighted to have the opportunity to talk about semi-commercial bridging loans and our product which is available to meet this growing demand. For those of you who are still not clear what a semicommercial bridging loan
is, it’s typically for mixeduse properties that are usually retail units with self-contained living areas above, but they can also include pubs, restaurants, takeaways, and offices with flats directly above them as well. There’s no doubt been a surge in semi-commercial loans in recent years. Why’s that the case? As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, accelerated the economic and social shift, with less trade on the high streets and more consumers focusing on shopping online. As a result, many shops had to close their doors, leaving multiple units
unoccupied and therefore, the perfect opportunity for those looking to invest in a semi-commercial project. In the past quarter, we have seen on many occasions our loans being used for vacant banks, shops etc being renovated and turned into fully residential or semicommercial projects and we expect to see more and more investors looking at the possibilities of semicommercial properties as worthwhile investment moving forward.
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Straight to the point Great news! We’ve simplified our product offering. It’s now even easier to find the rate you need. Fast!
VI S I ONLT US INE
Residential Semi-commercial Commercial Land
Straight to the point: Our simplified products and rates In Q3, we got straight to the point with a brandnew product refresh. Due to brokers and borrowers facing uncertainty in the property market, to combat this, we consolidated our offering so it’s clearer and more appealing while still providing some of the most competitive rates in the market. Our brand-new range now simply stands as options suitable for residential, semicommercial, commercial and land deals, which can be used for a range of purposes f rom property purchase, refinance, and an array of other business
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purposes, including debt who are looking for consolidation and covering affordable and reliable cash flow. bridging finance solutions. With that in mind, we’re While still providing some working on adding of the most competitive even further value to rates in the market, we feel our offering with an very confident this refresh extremely competitive will result in even more enhancement, which we intermediaries utilising our look forward to sharing offering, as we continue to with the market very have access to affordable soon.” options which are coupled with the delivery of a second-to-none service. Here’s what our Chief Financial Officer, Kate Cowan, had to say: “As we head into the closing months of the year, we’re fully committed to achieving more results and supporting brokers
Paddles up!
Have we got a deal for you...
Going once, going twice: Sold! Say hello to our latest offer! Specifically tailored to borrowers who are looking to purchase residential properties at auction, our brand-new offering boasts rates from just 0.89% per month, enabling borrowers to save 0.06% versus our standard bridging rate.
deals over the years, however, we’ve never actually offered a specific auction finance product. Owing to the growing demand for this type of loan and conversations we’ve had with brokers, it felt like the right time to launch a solution which is specifically tailored to auction purchases.
The exclusive deal includes f ree valuations with potential savings of up to £2,500!
The main attraction of purchasing a property at auction using a bridging loan is the speed it can offer. With the majority of bidders against a 28-day timeframe, we have an extremely efficient team
We’ve been lucky enough to work with many brokers and borrowers on auction
and a smooth onboarding process to ensure our borrowers can raise their paddles with confidence.
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Pre drinks at the B&C Awards
Bubble trouble for our very own Christy
It’s been glitz, glamour and nonstop fun for the Hope Capital team
Strictly Fieldfisher
Kate Cowan presenting an award at Financial Reporter, Women’s Recognition Awards
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All set for the Financial Reporter, Women’s Recognition Awards
Strictly Fieldfisher – a packed crowd out watches on
We’ve been out and about 6th September Strictly Fieldfisher – charity event hosted by Fieldfisher
2nd October Knowledge Bank Criteria Clinic, Semi-commercial - discussed all things bridging with over 80 brokers
21st September Bridging & Commercial Awards - joined over 780 guests to celebrate the winners in 30 award categories and sponsored the ESG award
5th October Financial Reporter, Women’s Recognition Awards - sponsored the Equality Employer of the Year award
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Expert Secured Finance Lawyers. Contact Brad Armstrong T: 0151 281 9040 E: bradarmstrong@msbsolicitors.co.uk
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Contact Jack Medlicott T: 0151 281 9040 E: jackmedlicott@msbsolicitors.co.uk
Meet our team
Proud to work with Hope Capital
MSB - Liverpool City Centre 4 St. Pauls Square, Liverpool L3 9SJ
MSB - Manchester 3 Hardman Square Spinningfields Manchester M3 3EB
means something better.
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Find us on www.hope-capital.co.uk | hello@hope-capital.co.uk
0151 523 5998
Alaska House | No.1 Atlantic Park | Dunnings Bridge Road | Liverpool L30 4AB Registered in England: 07785052
This is for intermediary use only. Hope Capital is a privately funded specialist provider of bridging loans of up to £5m for a term of up to 18 months. Hope Capital does not offer regulated loans and is not regulated by the FCA. Registered in England and Wales: 07785052. Calls are recorded for training a nd monitoring purposes. “The earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry. We’re trying to play our part in helping the planet and you can too by not printing this document.
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