Close Brothers Property Finance (CBPF) marks 50 years of lending to SME housebuilders by outlining plans to grow and diversify its loan book. Since 2020, CBPF has lent more than £5.1 billion and has grown its loan book to almost £2 billion. The business intends to increase facility sizes and further diversify the loan book weighting to include more Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Build to Rent (BTR) lending.
To support the evolving needs of the market, 2025 saw the launch of a new Structured Finance team led by Chiara Caldwell. The new team will facilitate the expansion into the fast-growing BTR and PBSA sectors, helping SME developers gain a foothold in these increasingly competitive areas.
CBPF is currently supporting the development of over 7,350 new homes across the UK. Landmark transactions over the past year include the lender’s first multi-site Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) of £38 million to support Fernham Homes deliver more than 400 new homes across six sites; a £48 million loan to fund 213 homes in Brent Cross, part of one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects, and a £44 million facility to Select Property to support 266 new build-to-rent (BTR) homes in Birmingham.
Phil Hooper, CEO of Close Brothers Property Finance says: “At the heart of the business’ success over the past half century is our firm commitment to helping SME housebuilders. Greater diversity in housing stock means better quality homes and support for local economies, with SMEs prioritising the use of local supply chains and skilled labour. This is not just a milestone year for us - it’s a springboard for the next half century. Against a challenging economic backdrop, we need to be agile as a business and evolve to meet the needs of our clients. Expanding our proposition into structured finance, we are better positioned to do just this.”
The lender takes pride in fostering long-standing, trust-based relationships with its customers and staff alike. The average tenure of a team member is over 10 years, a testament to the deep market knowledge, continuity and relationship-led approach to banking that clients value. CBPF’s relationships with customers often span decades and generations of the same family. One such relationship is with Essex-based Anderson Development Group who Close Brothers Property Finance has supported in delivering over 800 new homes, across loan facilities totalling £120m.
As a staunch advocate for SME housebuilders, CBPF was the first industry partner of the newly reconstituted All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for SME Housebuilders and since 2020, has published the State of Play report, alongside the Homebuilders Federation and Travis Perkins, which shines a spotlight on the biggest issues impacting SME housebuilders. The report has been cited in Parliament, with launch events attended by senior politicians and leading industry figures.
Close Brothers Property Finance is also committed to supporting new talent in the industry through its Tomorrow’s Developer initiative and the Women in Property network, helping to break down barriers and promote diversity in the sector.
To mark the half-century milestone for the business, Close Brothers Property Finance has launched a video, featuring some of its longest-standing clients, such as Briahaze and Nicholas King Homes, as well as newer customers, such as Pivot Developments who specialise in sustainable homes using the latest green technologies. The video can be viewed at 50 Years of Property Finance.
