Specialist finance lender Mint Bridging has rebranded as Mint Property Finance, in a move that aims to reflect the next step in its evolution.
Specialist finance lender Mint Bridging has rebranded as Mint Property Finance, in a move that aims to reflect the next step in its evolution.
The lender described the change in brand identity as reflecting its position in the specialist finance market, as it looks to grow its loan book to £250m with the introduction of a portfolio of products.
This is the latest in a string of developments, including the introduction of specialist development and bridging underwriting teams, the addition of a specialist completions team, and the appointment of a senior digital, PR and communication team. Last month Mint announced the appointment of Spector Constant & Williams to its panel of solicitors to help manage an increase in new loans.
The brand relaunch sees a new logo, website and suite of brand assets, defining Mint Property Finance’s five core business products: bridging, light, medium and heavy refurbishment, and a development product.
In the coming weeks and months, the business is set to launch a suite of products, as part of its three-year commercial strategy.
Andrew Lazare, founder and managing director of Mint Property Finance, said: “I started Mint from my garage in 2011. At the time, my ambition was to build a loan book of £10m.
"I quickly realised that raising the money was, in the grand scheme of things, the easy part, and that what was hard, really hard, was building the trust and longstanding relationships with introducers.
“We did achieve this, and that is down to our people. Over the last 10 years we’ve grown from being a small family business to an incredible 45-strong team, with every member playing a significant role in Mint’s success.
“We’ve invested in the best people and created specialist teams that work extremely closely with introducers and borrowers through every stage of the process to deliver exceptional partner service – we like to think we provide a human touch to lending.
"We’ve ambitious plans for growth but our people and our partners will always be at the heart of Mint Property Finance.”
Speaking specifically on the rebrand, he added: “When I launched Mint, bridging finance was what we did. The market has changed significantly since then and so has the business.
“At the moment 50% of our business is funding either ground up developments or loans with a development or refurbishment angle to them. I think we miss out on loan opportunities as some introducers don’t realise the strength and depth of our proposition and offering.
“The time was right for us to rebrand and to launch a new identity that better reflects the ever-growing range of products and services we are proud to provide, and to position us for even greater success working alongside our partners in the future.
“The name was borne following an extensive audit of the business and the sector. We spoke with key stakeholders, introducers and of course the team to better understand what Mint meant to them. We were blown away by the feedback.
"We had started the process open to the prospect of a total name change but discovered that Mint had much more equity than any of us appreciated, it was an immensely proud moment.
“Our partners had a solid understanding of what made Mint special, and how our approach to lending makes us different to the competition.
"It became clear Mint had to remain and Mint Property Finance was decided. It says what we do.”
Director at Mint Property Finance, Paul Wertheim, said: “We’re ten years into the business and yet it still feels like we’re in the early stages. The scope for expanding partnerships and continued growth is vast, and we’re committed to working with introducers and Borrowers to realise the potential, setting new standards for best practice.”
