Bret is back in Bridging, not a headline that will gain a lot of traction, but I like it. Some people questioned why I would leave the financial advice & investment management world to go into lending, especially at a time of great uncertainty, house prices falling and a recession on the horizon. Bear with me, there is a method to my madness.
Opportunities
I have seen how it works in a brokerage and to some extent, within a compliance support organisation, but not from a lender perspective. It has always intrigued me, and how one day I may be in a position to utilise my skills in this side of the industry.
A market on the downside will forge opportunities in the future. Lenders and brokers created during the COVID era or even the great financial crisis of 2007-2009, have continued to go from strength to strength, so why not move to a lender who has recently gone through a transition, to assist in their next phase of growth?
Last and not least, Damien Druce. A personal friend and fellow Northern resident. Despite perceptions some individuals have of him, (who quite frankly don’t really know him) has created Black & White to be what it is today. His knowledge of the sector is only matched by a select few I know, but ultimately, it’s his passion and drive to succeed. Whilst people may raise eyebrows, I know it was the right decision and ‘we’ will prove it.
Growth
This is a word that is bandied around a lot, but does it always mean the truth? You will see press releases popping up all over the place about hires, particularly from a sales team perspective, and how they are pivotal to the growth of the business. Are they not replacing the one that has recently left? What about the fifteen you made redundant six months ago?
The board of Black & White have made it very clear their management team would be finalised early 2023 with strategic hires. Only then would they make additional hires in the areas that require the headcount and will assist in the growth of the business. On that basis, I would say this is a true ‘growth business’.
Part of the growth plan will utilise my investment knowledge and qualifications. All will become clear in the not-too-distant future, but it helps diversify my role and make it more interesting.
Change
The market has changed considerably in my eight-year absence. Yes, many of the individuals I remember and know are still in the industry, but it is the professionalism of the sector that has changed. It was on the cusp of becoming mainstream back then but has certainly been propelled since.
Bridging is no longer a dirty word. It provides solutions other forms of lending are unable to facilitate. Whilst not fully in the mainstream yet, there is a plethora of banks and specialist lenders, Black & White amongst them, that structure these solutions and are here to stay.
More brokers & IFA’s are utilising these products, as they recognise the benefits they offer. We have a new publication in The Intermediary, making great strides and publishing excellent content to meet the requirements of these additional advisers, alongside the more established firms and individuals. Trade bodies and organisations providing a voice for the whole sector. It is all very exciting.
I will finish this blog with a very apt testimonial from a broker I received on a recent completion:
“Great service and a fantastic team. They are dynamic and very business-minded when it comes to lending.”
Enough said…
