Chetwood Bank has appointed Richard Lawton as director of bridging as it prepares to launch its new short-term lending proposition.

Lawton (pictured), who brings almost three decades of lending experience and 17 years in the bridging sector, previously led bridging teams at Precise Mortgages and OSB Group. He was most recently director of operations at Morpheus Lending.

In his new role, he will oversee the launch and development of Chetwood’s bridging offering, which is due to come to market in the coming months.

The product range will initially focus on the non-regulated residential sector and promises a flexible lending policy backed by commercially minded underwriting. The bank said it will prioritise certainty of funding for brokers and their clients.

Lawton said: “This is a really exciting opportunity which I just couldn’t turn down. Having successfully launched bridging propositions with other lenders.

“Our goal is simple: to provide a five-star service to brokers and their clients, making the journey as seamless and as quick as possible for everyone involved. That means not only streamlining the broker and client experience, but also ensuring our internal bridging team has the tools and processes to deliver efficiently and consistently.

“I can’t wait to get started and help take our proposition to the next level.”

Paul Noble, chief executive of Chetwood Bank, added: “We’re delighted to welcome someone of Richard’s calibre to the team.

“He has a proven track record of launching successful bridging propositions to market, so we’re thrilled to have him on board to further support the bank’s growth aspirations.

“We’re committed to diversifying our offering by providing new product offerings and solutions.

“Our bridging proposition will give brokers another tool at their disposal to meet their clients’ ever-changing needs.”