Jamie Jolly, head of bridging at Secure Trust Bank, shares his key takeaways from UKREiiF, our new broker portal and how our bridging finance offering has fared in its first six months.
Last month, Danny Thornton, Vin Vijaya, Alan Coleman and I attended UKREiiF, the annual real estate investment and infrastructure forum, held in the outskirts of Leeds. Don't get me wrong, Leeds is a fantastic city, but the less said about the weather, the better. You wouldn't get that in the 'sunshine city' of Manchester...
I digress. It was an action-packed event with thousands of property professionals flocking to share expertise, forge long-term partnerships and, unsurprisingly, get out of the rain. After hearing from several high-profile speakers and talking to like-minded lenders and brokers, the scale of how tough the market currently is - and has been for some time - quickly became clear.
There is an enormous amount of competition between lenders for not a lot of business. Most have still managed to build a comfortable pipeline of opportunities during the first half of the year, which is genuinely pleasing to see. Unfortunately, pipelines are often incredibly volatile.
The development landscape is especially difficult. The latest S&P Global UK Construction PMI® revealed that April 2026 brought the steepest fall in construction output since November of the previous year. Housebuilding registered the second worst decline, owing in part to the mounting cost of raw materials and supply chain challenges. Alas, these aren't new revelations, and the sector should be lauded for the collective resilience it has shown over the past few years.
A platform to build on
Earlier this year, I said the best way to measure the success of our new bridging finance division will be by the relationships we build. Countless conversations with stakeholders in the - admittedly short - time that has followed have reinforced this belief.
Most lenders in the bridging space offer near-identical products simply because there aren't many ways to differentiate them. Yet, the quality of relationships we build with borrowers and brokers is an intangible way of doing so. In today's market, taking a steady, reliable approach to prospective deals offers the consistency many are looking for.
To help all brokers receive a consistent, quality experience off the bat, we recently launched a dedicated portal whereby all the important information around a deal can be input and sent straight to the relationship director with the most suitable experience. While it will play an important role in getting the wheels in motion, it will never serve as a barrier to direct communication with our team.
The portal launches at a time when we've already deployed £50 million in capital, which, considering current market conditions, is something I'm incredibly proud of. The aim is to now mirror that and round out the bridging finance division's first year by reaching £100 million - or more. The first six months have provided us with a real platform to build on, and the early success is a testament to our experienced team of relationship directors that are constantly reviewing products and processes to optimise our offering.
Getting out and about
To continue moving in the right direction, we must keep putting ourselves out there and show the broker community exactly why Secure Trust Bank is the right partner for their next venture. Above all, bridging works best when lenders and brokers work as true partners. Processes should help, not hinder, communication, and I'm confident our intuitive portal will further enhance the lending lifecycle.
Following on from UKREiiF, the team and I will be heading to the NACFB Commercial Finance Expo, taking place on Wednesday 10 June at Birmingham's NEC. We will have representation from across the bank, from investment and development to bridging finance. If you're also heading to the second city and want to find out how we can best support your clients' property ambitions - or simply want to say hello - visit us on stand N09.
Check out our new broker portal.