49% of brokers who took part in a survey by united Trust Bank indicated that when taking account of current enquiry levels and their business year to date, they would achieve their targets by the end of 2013.

30% predict that they will have an ‘excellent’ year exceeding their expectations.

Most brokers were also optimistic about the prospects for the UK economy with two thirds expecting a steady improvement over the next three years and 7% predicting the future will be bright. Just over a quarter of brokers are more cautious, describing the outlook as ‘unsettled’.

Harley Kagan, managing director of United Trust Bank, said: “At the start of 2013 our research indicated that many brokers were busier than they expected to be and it’s positive to see that for most, those early levels of activity have been maintained throughout the year.

“Certainly our own experiences across the bridging, development finance and asset finance divisions support the view that 2013 has been a year of real growth . There has been increasing activity in the property sector, both new build and refurbishment, and SMEs have been taking advantage of asset finance to release capital and invest in their businesses. Overall, optimism for the future appears to be spreading and I welcome the announcement from the Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, that the recovery has finally taken hold.

“Although many of the larger lenders remain very cautious about lending, developers and brokers can be assured that specialist, bespoke lenders like United Trust Bank will continue to support them. Even through the darkest times of the recession we never stopped lending and now that there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel we remain committed to providing funding for individuals and businesses to seize opportunities and ensure that the growth of the economy maintains its momentum.”