- Since the UK went into lockdown, OakNorth Bank has approved £50m in new loans to fund a hotel refurbishment, an acquisition of 131 retirement units across the UK, and a fund buy-out;
- In addition to this, OakNorth Bank has approved over £36m of loans through the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) since being onboarded to it two weeks ago.
OakNorth Bank – the UK bank powered by OakNorth – has approved over £50m in new loans to UK businesses since the lockdown began, as well as a further £36m through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
As the UK enters its eighth week of lockdown, British businesses continue to feel the prolonged effects of the crisis on the economy. Whilst traditional lenders are retrenching from the SME lending market and instead prioritising loans which come with a Government guarantee, OakNorth Bank has seen an opportunity to support businesses at a time when many will be unable or unwilling to.
Ben Barbanel, Head of Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank, said: “This crisis looks like it’s going to be even worse than the financial crisis of 2008. There will be many businesses that were strong, profitable, healthy businesses before the pandemic which will now be struggling to survive. We are trying to find ways to support these businesses and help them through this extremely difficult time, as well as those who have been positively impacted by the lockdown and are looking for debt finance to grow. We are therefore hosting Credit Committees morning, noon and night, as well as on weekends, to try and get capital to the businesses that need it as quickly as possible.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About CBILS
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is managed by the British Business Bank on behalf of, and with the financial backing of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and industrial Strategy (BEIS).
About OakNorth Bank plc
OakNorth Bank provides fast, flexible and accessible debt finance (from £500k to £50m) to fast-growth businesses and established property developers / investors. It has debt finance teams in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and East Anglia.
Since its launch, the bank has:
- Lent over £4bn, directly helping with the creation of 13,000 new homes and 17,000 new jobs in the UK;
- Raised deposits from c.144,000 savers;
- Supported over 750 businesses across the UK with the debt finance to pursue their growth ambitions.
It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Visit wordpress-test-website.oaknorth-it.com for more information.
Contact
Stephanie Kendall, Associate Director – Growth & Communications: [email protected] / [email protected] / 07752429643