The Intermediary – March 2025 - Flipbook - Page 3
From the editor. . .
nyone with an eye on The
Intermediary’s sites and socials –
which I assume anyone devoted
enough to be reading this, of
course, keeps avid track of – will
know what I mean when I say
that March has been quite the month here at
Astor Towers.
Until, at the time of writing, only a few
days ago, we couldn’t talk much about what
was happening behind the scenes, having to
instead keep the swan’s legs kicking furiously
beneath the surface while business continued as
usual above.
For those not in the loop, I can now reveal
that all my crowing from last month about our
successes was not, as some might have assumed,
just my ego speaking. Or at least, not entirely. In
fact, those successes have allowed the business
to further expand, taking on a full suite of new
publications within the business motoring and
automotive finance space.
What relevance does this have to property
finance, you might ask. Well, aside from being a
chance for us to flex our creative muscles geing
to grips with a new sector, which is always fun,
there are other links, particularly when you
consider the increasing focus on holistic advice.
For example, this month’s issue is our
incredible well timed Specialist Finance Focus,
and one of the key topics we dive into is the need
for propositions that address the full gamut of
business finance needs experienced by small to
medium enterprises (SMEs).
A
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Whether it’s property investment, cashflow,
investment funds, invoice finance, or perhaps
managing and financing a fleet of vehicles, these
needs are myriad and constantly evolving. These
businesses also make up an integral part of the
UK’s struggling economy, so their concerns are
not just their own.
This is where the specialist market comes
in, and this month we speak with several
lenders that are currently leading the charge
in evolving their products and meeting need
where it lives, rather than forcing borrowers –
individual, landlord, or corporate – to fit into a
narrow profile.
Speaking of leading the charge, our feature
this month casts an eye to the much-discussed
1.5 million mark set by the Labour Government.
While it has been easy to dismiss this as yet
another unreachable target, the fact remains that
we desperately need housing – not just in terms
of quantity, but that fits the nuanced present and
future needs of the population.
Rather than take the easy way out, rolling our
eyes as Labour wheel the 1.5 million target out in
the press once again, our feature takes a practical
approach and outlines why the specialist finance
market will be key to geing anywhere close.
With spring peeking through the clouds and
the horizon for 2025 looking, at least tentatively,
a lile brighter, there is a lot of change yet
to come. ●
Jessica Bird
@jess_jbird
@IntermediaryUK
Contributors
The Team
www.facebook.com/IntermediaryUK
SPECIALIST FINANCE
FOCUS ISSUE
INTERVIEWS Quantum,
HTB and Allica discuss change,
growth and specialist values
OPINION The latest from
LendInvest, ModaMortgages,
Fignum, Landbay and more
The
Intermediary.
www.theintermediary.co.uk | Issue 26 | March 2025 | £6
Jessica Bird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Editor
Jessica O’Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Reporter
Marvin Onumonu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reporter
Zarah Choudhary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reporter
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Stephen Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BDM
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Brian West . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sales Director (Interim)
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Ryan Fowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publisher
Felix Blakeston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Publisher
Helen Thorne
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Orson McAleer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designer
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BUILDING THE FUTURE
Can specialist finance bring
pipe-dream targets back to reality?
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March 2025 | The Intermediary
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