BestAdvice fires the questions at Daniel Jones, bridging & commercial sales manager at Norton Group

BestAdvice (BA): You are a recent recruit to Norton Group. What is your role there and where did you come from?

Daniel Jones (DJ): I joined Norton from Reparo Finance where I was a senior business development manager specialising in first and second charge secured lending. Prior to this, I spent 10 years as a local business manager at Lloyds Bank. I have over 14 years of expertise in lending and career has provided me with broad and extensive experience in the second charge and bridging market.

I recently joined Norton Group as bridging and commercial sales manager. I will be responsible for heading up the bridging and commercial loans department and my main focus will be growing the existing client base and building relationships with new and existing intermediaries.

I am extremely passionate about building lasting relationships with brokers and I am delighted to be joining Norton at such an exciting time as the business celebrates its 50th anniversary.

BA: Bridging and commercial finance have seen a surge in growth over the last few years. What key trends do you expect to see going forward?

DJ: Things are looking a lot more positive in the UK economy at the moment, with falling interest rates and increased political stability seeming instilling greater confidence in many SME borrowers.

This appears to be driving increased demand in commercial finance borrowing among SMEs, as borrowers look at ways to refinance so that they can fund growth and business expansion, or to pay off debt.

Many of these SMEs are feeling more confident about their future prospects and want to push on with growth plans for their business. This is great to see after such a volatile and uncertain few years for many borrowers. Hopefully this trend will continue as we head into the second half of the year and into 2025.

BA: What advice would you give to brokers unfamiliar with the bridging and commercial market?

DJ: Given the complexities around the bridging and commercial market, I understand why many brokers may have previously shied away from doing any business in the market. Especially if they are unfamiliar with the how the market works.

Add to this the broad range of options available in the market, the level of detail involved and the number of lenders operating in this sector, it is easy to see why this may be overwhelming for anyone unfamiliar with working in this space.

But brokers should know that there are referral processes in place with specialist packagers to help them find solutions for their client, instead of turning them away. Norton Group has been around for 50 years, and our packager arm, Norton Broker Services is well versed in all areas of the specialist lending market. This knowledge and expertise means we are extremely well positioned to provide hands on support throughout the entire advisory process.

By getting in touch and letting us do the hard work, they can then sit back and focus on other areas of their business where they feel comfortable. They will even be rewarded for the referral.

BA: You are joining Norton as it marks its 50th anniversary in the specialist lending market. How do you plan to celebrate?

DJ: It is a very exciting time and I feel truly honoured to be joining the company at such a pivotal stage in its evolution. 50 years ago specialist lending was considered a niche area of the mortgage market and while we have come a long way since then, I think this mindset is slowly changing – and not before time.

Changing lifestyles and different employment needs means this area of the market is becoming more commonplace and will only continue to grow. Being part of that is very special and is definitely something to shout about.

I am looking forward to marking this significant milestone with my new colleagues and friends.