Cambridge & Counties Bank

Cambridge & Counties Bank is a specialist UK bank serving small and medium-sized enterprises, property investors, credit unions and a range of institutional and community organisations. The bank began operating across Great Britain in June 2012 and is headquartered in Leicester. Rather than competing as a universal retail bank, it concentrates on secured and relationship-led lending where detailed assessment of the borrower, the asset and the underlying business circumstances is important. The institution has an unusual ownership structure. It is jointly owned by Trinity Hall, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, and the Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Scheme, with each holding an equal stake. This structure has helped distinguish the bank from both large listed banking groups and conventional challenger-bank models. Cambridge & Counties Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority. Its principal lending activity is property finance. The bank supports experienced property investors through facilities for commercial investment, residential investment, bridging, secured pension lending, holiday lets, mixed-use property and refurbishment projects. These products are generally aimed at borrowers with specialist requirements that may not fit standardised high-street lending processes. The bank also provides asset finance, including hire purchase and finance leases, and is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association. A further specialist area is classic and performance vehicle finance. The offering covers classic, vintage, modern-classic, sports and racing cars, with facilities including purchase finance, equity release and auction finance. This line broadens the bank's asset-backed proposition while retaining its emphasis on individually assessed transactions. On the deposit side, Cambridge & Counties Bank has offered notice savings accounts and fixed-rate bonds to businesses, charities, clubs and associations, trusts and other organisations. Its customer base is therefore broader than owner-managed companies alone, although small and medium-sized enterprises remain central to the brand's identity. The bank presents its underwriting approach as personal and manually assessed. Individual underwriters review applications rather than relying solely on an automated mass-market process. This positioning combines the service expectations of a modern specialist lender with more traditional banking practices and is intended to provide flexibility for experienced borrowers and intermediaries. Following its launch, the bank expanded from commercial property lending into residential investment finance and later added asset finance and specialist vehicle finance. It developed regional coverage through offices and representatives serving areas including the South West and Wales, the North of England, Scotland, Birmingham and the wider UK. During the late 2010s it also strengthened relationships with commercial finance intermediaries and entered the British Business Bank's Enable Guarantee programme. Cambridge & Counties Bank remains a UK-focused specialist institution rather than an international banking brand. Its distinctive proposition rests on sector expertise, secured lending, personal underwriting and a relatively focused product range. The bank's regulatory permissions, nationwide coverage and specialist teams allow it to operate across the country while maintaining a relationship-oriented model.

Cambridge & Counties Bank was established as a UK specialist bank with an ownership model linking Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, and the Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Scheme. It launched in June 2012, operating across Great Britain and initially concentrating on secured loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, business mortgages and commercial property investment. The bank broadened its offer soon after launch by adding residential property investment lending. During its first years it developed a relationship-led model based on experienced underwriters and individually assessed applications. This approach was designed for borrowers whose circumstances or property projects required more judgement than a standardised high-street credit process normally provides. In 2014, Mike Kirsopp became chief executive. The bank also began building a regional network, opening offices in Bristol and Sheffield to extend support across the South West, Wales, northern England and Scotland. In 2015 it entered the asset finance market with hire purchase, finance lease and chattel mortgage products. The asset finance division received a formal launch in 2016 and subsequently gained recognition in the specialist leasing sector. The bank continued to expand its management team and geographical reach. A Birmingham office opened in 2016, while Simon Moore succeeded Paul ffolkes Davis as chairman. Andrea Hodgson joined the board as chief financial officer in 2017, and Simon Lindley moved from commercial director to chief development officer. These appointments accompanied the bank's growth from a newly established challenger into a more diversified specialist lender. In 2018, Cambridge & Counties Bank signed the British Business Bank's Enable Guarantee and added classic, vintage and sports car finance. The latter extended its asset-backed expertise into purchase finance, equity release and auction finance for specialist vehicles, including racing cars and modern classics. The bank also maintained a public profile through cultural activity, including support for an exhibition associated with artist Lancelot Ribeiro. By 2019, the bank reported a balance sheet exceeding one billion pounds and had become a patron of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers. It also strengthened its Scottish coverage through an area-director appointment. These developments reflected a strategy of serving borrowers and intermediaries nationwide while retaining a focused specialist identity. The year 2020 brought significant senior-management turnover. Mike Kirsopp and Chief Customer Officer Rachel Curtis-Bowen left the organisation. Donald Kerr became chief executive in December, and Tina Hayton-Banks joined as chief operating officer in November. In 2021, Paul ffolkes Davis left his vice-chairman role, Tim Harvey Samuel joined the board as a Trinity Hall shareholder representative, and David Holton took responsibility as chief transformation officer. The bank has also highlighted customer service and environmental initiatives as part of its development. It reported maintaining a high customer-satisfaction rating during its growth period and received Carbon Neutral Plus status from Carbon Footprint Ltd for the 2019–2020 period. In September 2021, it reported reaching one billion pounds in customer deposits. Cambridge & Counties Bank's continuing identity is that of a UK-focused specialist institution combining secured property lending, asset finance, specialist vehicle finance and organisational savings with manual underwriting and personal service.

• 2021

  Customer deposits reach one billion pounds

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank announces that customer deposits have reached one billion pounds.

• 2019

  Balance sheet passes one billion pounds

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank reports a balance sheet exceeding one billion pounds as it expands its specialist lending franchise.

• 2018

  Enable Guarantee signed

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  Cambridge & Counties Bank joins the British Business Bank's Enable Guarantee programme.

• 2018

  Specialist car finance introduced

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  Classic, vintage, sports and racing car finance is added to the bank's specialist product portfolio.

• 2016

  Asset finance formally launched

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  The asset finance division is formally launched and later receives specialist-leasing industry recognition.

• 2016

  Birmingham office opens

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  A Birmingham regional office is added as the bank broadens its national coverage.

• 2015

  Entry into asset finance

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank introduces hire purchase, finance lease and chattel mortgage products.

• 2014

  Regional expansion begins

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  Regional offices open in Bristol and Sheffield, extending coverage to additional UK regions.

• 2012

  Bank launches across Great Britain

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  Cambridge & Counties Bank begins operations with secured lending for SMEs, business mortgages and commercial property investment.

• 2012

  Residential investment finance added

  [1]Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org

  The initial commercial-property offering is expanded to include residential property investment lending.

A relationship-led UK specialist bank for secured SME, property and asset finance, with manually underwritten lending and selected savings products for businesses and organisations.

• Commercial and residential lending · 2012

  Property finance

  The bank's core lending area supports experienced property investors and businesses through commercial investment, residential investment, bridging, secured pension lending, holiday-let, mixed-use and refurbishment facilities. Applications are assessed individually, allowing the bank to consider specialist projects and borrower circumstances that may not fit conventional standardised lending criteria.

• Business asset lending · 2015

  Asset finance

  Cambridge & Counties Bank provides asset-backed funding through hire purchase and finance leases, with the division originating in 2015 and receiving a formal launch in 2016. The proposition is intended for businesses acquiring equipment, vehicles and other productive assets, and complements the bank's wider secured-lending expertise.

• Specialist vehicle finance · 2018

  Classic, vintage and sports car finance

  This specialist finance range covers classic cars, vintage cars, modern classics, sports cars and racing cars. Facilities include purchase finance, equity release and auction finance, providing funding for acquisitions and liquidity against qualifying vehicles.

• Savings and deposits · 2012

  Organisational savings

  The bank offers savings products such as notice accounts and fixed-rate bonds to businesses, charities, clubs and associations, trusts and other organisations. These products support the deposit side of its specialist banking model rather than functioning as a mass-market personal banking range.

• 2019Carbon Neutral Plus initiative

  United Kingdom

  Cambridge & Counties Bank received Carbon Neutral Plus status from Carbon Footprint Ltd for the 2019–2020 period, reflecting an environmental programme associated with its operations.

  Outcome. The bank was recognised with Carbon Neutral Plus status for the stated assessment period.

  Source
• 2018Lancelot Ribeiro exhibition showcase

  United Kingdom

  The bank hosted a showcase connected with the Lancelot Ribeiro exhibition at New Walk Museum, giving the institution a cultural and community-facing dimension alongside its financial activities.

  Source

• 2020

  Reorganise senior leadershipStrategy

  Background

  The bank experienced departures among senior executives during a period of organisational development.

  Action taken

  Donald Kerr became chief executive and Tina Hayton-Banks joined as chief operating officer.

  Aftermath

  The changes reset the executive leadership structure for the next phase of the bank's development.

  Source

• 2018

  Add specialist vehicle financeProduct launch

  Background

  Cambridge & Counties Bank extended its asset-backed proposition into a specialist vehicle segment.

  Action taken

  The bank launched finance for classic, vintage, sports, modern-classic and racing cars, including purchase, equity-release and auction facilities.

  Aftermath

  The product range broadened the bank's specialist offering beyond property and general business assets.

  Source

• 2018

  Join the Enable Guarantee programmeStrategy

  Background

  The bank pursued additional support for its business-lending strategy through a British Business Bank guarantee programme.

  Action taken

  Cambridge & Counties Bank signed the Enable Guarantee with the British Business Bank.

  Source

• 2015

  Enter the asset finance marketProduct launch

  Background

  The bank sought to diversify beyond property finance while retaining a secured, specialist-lending focus.

  Action taken

  It introduced hire purchase, finance lease and chattel mortgage products, followed by a formal asset finance launch in 2016.

  Aftermath

  Asset finance became an established part of the bank's specialist product portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Cambridge & Counties Banken.wikipedia.org