Bridgingloans.com opens up bridging loan market

Bridgingloans.com, formally Bristol & West Investments Plc, a UK provider of bridging finance solutions, has extended its reach into the residential and commercial bridging loans market with an increase of its available Loan to Value (LTV) ratio.

Private individuals and businesses will now be able to borrow up to £10 million with an LTV of 75 per cent on commercial property, while residential properties will benefit from an even higher offer of 85 per cent - one of the best options in the industry. This increase in accessibility of loans enhances the Bridgingloans.com offering for businesses looking to expand or move offices under strict time constraints, and by raising the LTV ratio for residential properties to 85 per cent, customers can secure their homes on greater mortgage amounts.

Bridgingloans.com has changed both its lending portfolio and its support infrastructure - including its website - in a drive to enhance the availability of its bridging finance and make it more useful to the commercial sector. These developments have made the property buying process more straightforward and enabled more customers to bridge the gap between time of sale and completion on their mortgage, thanks to rapid access to greater funds.

"The availability of more favourable LTV ratios on mortgages means that the bridging industry needs to adjust accordingly, raising our LTV helps us to make life simpler for more clients - both commercial and residential," commented Jasvinder Jhumat, Commercial Director, Bridgingloans.com. "This change in availability gives our brokers and IFAs greater flexibility when dealing with customers, which will help to secure more opportunities for businesses and private buyers alike who may miss out on opportunities without quick access to a bridging loan. Our new maximum LTV of 85 per cent on residential properties puts us out at the front of the industry, and when paired with our low rates and high quality of service, we feel we can offer the best bridging package out there."

| Provider |Max Loan | Max LTV | Default Interest Rate
Affirmative | £2 mil | 80% | 2.6%
Blemain Group | £2 mil | 80% | 0
Bridgebank Capital | £2 mil | 75% |Neg
Bristol & West Investments Plc | £10 mil | 85% | 0.5% pcm
Catalyst | £3.5 mil | 80% | From 1.25%
Cheval | £10 mil | 85% | From 1.25%
Excel Securities | £5 mil | 80% | 3% pcm
First Property Finance | £1 mil | 80% | No extra
Link Lending | £1.5 mil | 85% | 0
Mathon Finance | £12 mil | 75% | 2% pcm

Information Taken from Niche Commercial Finance Bridging Supplement, May 2007

"We have been in the bridging loans market for 25 years, and through this time we have been lending to both commercial and residential customers. The typical loan has predominantly been for residential customers throughout that time, but there are now more and more instances where commercial clients need access to bridging loans. This need will continue to increase, which is why we have expanded our portfolio so that we can now make life easier for more commercial property purchasers throughout the UK," Jasvinder Jhumat continued.

Bridgingloans.com offers its clients a unique combination of market leading rates, speed of turnaround and quality of service. It is this all-round expertise that makes it an easy-to-use borrowing option for businesses and private residential buyers looking for short-term solutions in order to secure a property.

For further information, visit bridgingloans.com.