Signature Property Finance delivered its best annual figures, supporting property developers and landlords to the tune of just over £44m for 2021, a rise of 20% over 2020, the firm’s previous best year.

While the overall lending figure was up, there was a small fall in the number of deals completed. This change in deal was driven largely by a rise in the value of new-build projects supported in 2021.

Tony Gilbertson (pictured), Signature CEO, said: “The figures are a satisfying endorsement of our approach in 2021, when we concentrated on supporting our existing clients, brokers and developers, to ensure their deals were completed on time and on the terms agreed at the outset.

“We continue to do what we say we will do and ensure no nasty surprises or sting in the tail when the deadline draws near. Our business succeeds because we work hard to provide brokers with the certainty of funding they and their clients need, in what remain challenging trading conditions.

“There is more optimism in the market for further improvements this year, with an end hopefully to the factors limiting market activity in 2021, such as bottlenecks in the conveyancing process and access to properties for valuations, gas safety checks and energy efficiency ratings, to name a few.

“As one of the few lenders to support brokers and developers in Scotland, it is gratifying to report just over 20% of the value of our deals originated from our Edinburgh office. It is a vibrant market, with a lot of growth potential which we will seek to exploit in a number of ways in 2022.

“Bringing our legal work in-house has also helped us deliver good figures in a tough year, with our Legal Director Tom Howells ensuring deals are structured in the most effective and efficient way from the outset. This helps quickly identify which deals can be done and limits complications too.

“The headline number of £44M may not seem that high by some. But for a business our size, it represents another solid year from a lender committed to delivering on its promises and providing a high quality personal service that instils confidence that deadlines will be met.

“Our strategy for the coming year, is more of the same, but with changes to our business, our approach and our coverage. Whilst we expect 2022 to be exciting and challenging in equal measure, here at Signature, we’re all about our clients and that counts for a lot.”