Since Atelier’s launch in January 2020, it has provided more than £150m to residential developers across the UK.
Specialist property lender Atelier Capital Partners (ACP) has expanded its credit team in order to work towards its target of delivering more than £300m of development and bridge finance to Britain’s housebuilders within the next year.
The eight-strong credit team assesses the suitability of prospective borrowers, structuring and underwriting loans, and establishing relationships with developers.
Since Atelier’s launch in January 2020, it has provided more than £150m to residential developers across the UK.
Alasdair Houghton (pictured), former head of property finance at Bank Leumi UK, has been appointed head of credit at Atelier.
He will work in tandem with director of origination Martin Gilsenan to identify and fund a strong pipeline of residential development opportunities.
During his 12 years at Leumi, Houghton arranged development finance for UK and international investors across all property asset classes.
Houghton will be supported by senior investment manager Paul Hayward, who joins from the private bank Hampden & Co, where he was banking director.
Houghton said: “I’ve watched Atelier with interest since it burst onto the market almost 18 months ago, and am delighted to be joining as it dials up its lending appetite further.
“Atelier combines the speed and agility of a start-up with the thoroughness and institutional-grade lending capacity of a bank, and we in the credit team pride ourselves on being nimble and transparent.
"We’re keen to lend, and while we’re not afraid to say no if a deal is not right for us, when we choose to lend it’s the start of a lasting partnership, not a transaction.”
Graham Emmett, co-founder of Atelier Capital Partners, added: “These are exciting times at Atelier.
"We recently sealed partnerships with a trio of leading financial institutions, including the international asset manager M&G Investments and the UK-based Paragon Bank, and have also securitised a tranche of our loan assets – enabling us to deploy our capital more efficiently and flexibly.
“Our credit team is central to the successful deployment of that financial firepower.
"It’s a team with a diverse range of backgrounds, from private banking to structured and short-term property finance.
"All of them are experts in their field, and all are committed to providing forward-thinking residential developers with a personal service and personalised solutions.”
