United Trust Bank (UTB) has appointed Paul De Croos as head of originations – property development.

De Croos (pictured), who joins the organisation from the Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME), has taken over the role from Adam Bovingdon who was recently appointed head of property development following Noel Meredith’s retirement in March this year.

He has over 19 years’ experience in corporate banking and has most recently held the position of head of real estate finance at BLME since 2016. Prior to that he spent 15 years working with RBS in several senior roles and gaining experience in risk management, business development, complex debt structuring and originations.

De Croos will be responsible for managing UTB’s team of 23 property development directors and managers and will report to Bovingdon.

De Croos said: “United Trust Bank’s successful property development team have established a reputation for professionalism, dependability and a deep understanding of the house building industry. I’m looking forward to getting to know the other members of the team and ensuring we continue to build on their success of 2020 both this year and beyond.”

Bovingdon added: “Paul joins us at a very exciting time for the Bank’s Property Development team and I’m sure his experience will enable us to maintain our growth and deliver the Bank’s plans for the future. We’ve expanded our coverage across England and Wales and are involved in several initiatives to help SME house builders access the funds they need, including the recently launched £250m Housing Accelerator Fund with Homes England. There will be more exciting news from UTB in the coming weeks.”