Crystal Specialist Finance (CSF) has appointed Harriet Smith as its head of bridging finance.

Smith (pictured), who joins from Masthaven Bank where she was business development manager working across bridging, development and mortgages, will be responsible for delivering future growth targets and will also be involved in the ongoing education programme of brokers through meetings, seminars and webinars.

One of CSF’s five core specialist teams, bridging finance made up 30% of completions in 2018. Key performance indicators saw the average time from application to completion down by 12%, and a lower average monthly interest rate across completed deals with 14 separate lenders.

Smith said: “The bridging market in the UK continues to perform well, and Crystal has a well-established position in the sector. I am looking forward to building on the foundations they have laid and raising the bar still further, working closely with both brokers and lenders to deliver exceptional results.”

Jo Breeden, managing director of CSF, added: “Harriet needs no introduction, her knowledge, calibre and experience will be a great asset to the business. An appointment of this magnitude reaffirms our commitment to brokers regarding our bridging proposition, we will make great strides forward in this sector under her lead.”