Crystal Specialist Finance (CSF) has recorded its best start to a year as it targets more than £1bn worth of loan enquiries and applications for the fourth successive year.

From January to March inclusive, the specialist finance distributor has processed its highest-ever volume of loans, with bridging (35%), buy-to-let (26%) and commercial (24%) representing the majority of these.

CSF also saw the number of applications rise by 4% to 1,074 on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter of 2024 (2023: 1,027), despite the tough economic conditions.

The number of these applications has almost doubled from 579 in 2020 to 1,074 over the past five years.

The Tamworth-headquartered business believes its strong growth is partly resulting from repeat business, with the average number of deals per broker rising to 4.45 in the first three months of 2024, compared to 2.9 over the same period in 2023.

Jo Breeden (pictured), managing director of Crystal Specialist Finance, said: “This is an outstanding start to 2024 and we’re actively targeting growth at every opportunity.

“Our continued success is testament to the excellent Crystal team and their desire to always deliver an outstanding customer outcome.

“Our desire to educate intermediaries – both mainstream and specialist – on the myriad financial solutions for literally every customer requirement has also played a hugely significant part in the numbers and will continue to remain front-and-centre of our market proposition.”