In line with the ongoing growth of the team (recent hires include Frank Pennal, former Close Brothers Property Division CEO, as NED and Paul Bembridge as CFO) and its significant ambitions to become a market leading property finance provider, Mera decided to review its brand presence and principles and the way this is communicated to the market.
Mera—whose name comes from a mountain range in the Himalayas—was founded based on delivering innovative, commercially driven funding solutions to property developers and investors.
Specialising in prime London real estate, CEO Edward Matthews and the team are committed to delivering a disciplined, consistent service to their clients, backed up with the certainty of reliable, diverse funding lines.
Mera’s primary shareholder and source of funds has been in operation since 1933, and further institutional funding is being finalised for announcement in the coming months. This firepower gives clients the confidence that MERA is a lender that is here for the long-term, as it seeks to build one of the leading private lenders in the UK.
Edward Matthews, CEO, commented:
“It was time to ramp up our outward presence and relay to the market our intentions of building a real estate lending business that stands out. The brand revamp reflects this and has given us renewed energy to deliver our message effectively.
“We want to deliver a quality, service-driven experience to our borrowers and undertake projects that are interesting to us and interesting to our investors as well.
“It is an exciting time for Mera: we are actively growing our already formidable team; additional funding lines are being formalised as we speak; and the need for the type of proposition we’re offering has never been more relevant.
“There is increased, sustained demand from investors to invest into real estate debt, to diversify their strategies and better their returns.
“We are laser focussed on expertise, service and relationships, supported by a deep understanding of the sectors we operate in. Ours is an offering for discerning clients who want a flexible, pragmatic approach and we can’t wait to realise this potential.”
Mera Non-Executive Director Frank Pennal, said:
“Mera’s purpose is one that is clearly defined—and that is now even better represented via our new branding.
“I am proud to be a part of a business which puts people, experience, and the value of its proposition at the forefront of what it stands for. My many years in this industry have taught me that this is a recipe for a very successful lending outfit, one which is committed to delivering consistently excellent service.”
Mera currently runs two active deployment strategies: Real Estate Debt and Real Estate Equity.
Debt Strategy focuses on opportunities to deploy £1,000,000 to £50,000,000 of funding secured against high quality residential, commercial or high yielding alternative assets.
Equity Strategy focuses on opportunities to deploy £1,000,000 to £5,000,000 of preferred equity into the same three sectors and the assets must have strong value-add potential.
