Bridging lender SDKA has appointed Chris Simpson as underwriter.

Simpson will work across a broad stakeholder base, liaising not only with brokers and direct applicants but also with surveyors and legal professionals to ensure that client applications proceed within the required timeframes.

He becomes the sixth member of SDKA’s underwriting team and will report directly to the head of underwriting, Chris Edwards.

His appointment follows a three-year tenure at Together, where he held a similar role. Before that, Simpson gained two years’ experience in the property sector as lettings manager at Sequence and three years in valuations with Countrywide, where he worked as a senior negotiator.

Kunal Mehta, managing director of SDKA, said: “We are a people-based business, every application that comes into the market will be looked at individually by the Underwriting team and we will speak with every applicant directly to understand their projects.

“For this approach to be successful we must have the right people and Chris, with his wide-ranging experience across the finance and property spectrums and a hugely personable personality, fits our customer approach seamlessly.”

Based in Manchester, SDKA provides bridging loans for residential, semi-commercial and commercial properties across England, Scotland and Wales. The lender offers interest rates from 0.85% pcm up to 75% LTV, with terms of up to 24 months and loan sizes reaching £10m.

The business positions itself as a flexible lender, with a focus on individually assessed cases. It maintains that strong relationships with its funding partners give it the capacity to complete deals outside of standard lending criteria.