Bridging lender Hope Capital has appointed a new business development manager for Scotland.

During the summer it announced its establishment of a dedicated Scottish division.

Jim Wylie, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector, has worked on various projects at a number of large banks including Lloyds and Tesco where he dealt with a range of issues from mortgage and PPI complaints to legal notices.

Prior to this, Wylie was business development manager at The Mortgage Business (TMB) and DB Mortgages dealing with intermediaries in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

He said: “My appointment is a reflection of how seriously Hope Capital takes its expansion plans. This is an exciting new venture and I look forward to helping Hope Capital grow its bridging loans offering for the intermediary market in Scotland.

“It is a great opportunity to build relationships and expand the opportunity for Scottish mortgage brokers and their clients to benefit from Hope Capital’s great service in the same way that brokers can in the rest of England and Wales.

“It is a pleasure to work for a true principal lender which not only looks at each case on an individual basis, but also delivers service, speed and, more importantly, reliability.”

Jonathan Sealey, CEO of Hope Capital, added: “With house prices continuing to soar and the number of property transactions on the increase, it is evident that there is a lot of positive sentiment in the UK at the moment.  This is particularly the case in Scotland where Scottish house prices are up 10.3% since May 2014, twice the annual growth seen in England and Wales, while the sale of properties has surged 25% since May according to LSL’s Acadata.  This backs up our decision earlier this year to take the Scottish property market very seriously.

“Jim’s appointment is another way of us of achieving our ambitious expansion plans while responding to the growing potential of the UK’s expanding bridging market.”