LHV Bank has appointed three new lending directors to its lending team.

The appointments are Lee Albino, George Chipperfield, and Sadiq Patel.

Albino (pictured, left) joins LHV’s Manchester office with 15 years of industry experience, including a decade at Shawbrook Bank, where he played a key role in its rapid property sector growth.

Chipperfield (pictured, centre) brings nearly a decade of real estate finance experience to LHV. He began his career in retail banking at Metro Bank before moving into the commercial sector. He has also held key roles at LendInvest, Monument, and Cynergy Bank, primarily dealing with real estate investment and development finance.

Patel (pictured, right) has 22 years of banking experience, with a career spanning roles at Barclays, Clydesdale Bank, and most recently at Metro Bank. He has built and managed significant loan portfolios, with a focus on trading businesses and real estate lending. In recent years, he has specialised in the charity and pension sectors.

Conor McDermott, director of SME lending at LHV Bank, said: “Riding the wave of our successful 2024, we believe this is the perfect time to bolster our SME lending division by welcoming Lee, George, and Sadiq to the team.

“These new appointments demonstrate LHV’s commitment to attracting leading industry talent and strengthen our aim of becoming a major provider of commercial real estate investment loans and trading loans to SMEs throughout the UK.”