Insider Media Limited

Commercial finance brokerage Sterling Capital Reserve has announced a partnership with Whiteaway Laidlaw Bank (WLB). Nottingham-based Sterling said the new venture would offer an alternative lending option for businesses in the region.

The partnership comes a year after Sterling set up mezzanine finance company Strata Finance, which matches borrowers and lenders within the commercial property market.

Nic Rotton runs Strata Finance and will also spearhead the new partnership with WLB.

He said: "We are constantly trying to find solutions to pain points in the market place and we hope that by being able to offer exclusive access to this new lender we might be able to do just that.

"Strata Finance was about finding an innovative solution to funding the gap in property finance by uniting lenders and investors to get deals flowing again. We hope that by now being able to bring a lender of Whiteaway Laidlaw stature into the market we can add some more options to the region’s businesses."

WLB specializes in providing a range of targeted savings and lending products.

Stephen Johnson, the new business director at the bank, said: "At WLB we are keen to build a considerable presence in the commercial property market. Having been recently acquired and with no legacy problems from the financial crisis, we are in a fortunate position to bring much need choice and competition to a market in which many businesses have found their options limited and existing banking relationships less than supportive."