MFS has recorded its strongest November on record, with £45m-worth of bridging loans deployed during the second national lockdown.
Market Financial Solutions (MFS) has recorded its strongest November on record, with £45m-worth of bridging loans deployed during the second national lockdown.
MFS reported that it was particularly busy during lockdown providing loans to property buyers who were at risk of their transactions falling through due to other lenders withdrawing products.
The bridging lender experienced high demand from clients who had been let down by other lenders.
According to MFS, the economic uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the number of investors and homebuyers having mortgages withdrawn later on in a transaction, despite the loans having been agreed to in principle.
In response to this trend, in August the lender launched a dedicated COVID-19 recovery fund, setting aside a £60m pot to ensure loans can be issued quickly to those at risk of a transaction falling through.
All of November’s loans came from this fund, which is constantly replenished.
Paresh Raja (pictured), CEO of MFS, said: “MFS has not been succeeding in spite of COVID-19, but because of it.
"The pandemic has left many thousands of homebuyers and property investors scrambling for finance after another lender pulled out – reliable firms with strong credit lines, such as MFS, have been well placed to step in and ensure these transactions go ahead.
“For us, the priority throughout 2020 has been to fully commit to supporting clients – when we say yes, we mean yes.
"This certainly isn’t true of all lenders, and many property buyers have learnt that the hard way in recent months. We’re now looking forward to a successful 2021 as we continue to grow the network of brokers and private clients that we work with.”
