The Intermediary – August 2026 - Flipbook - Page 56
BRIDGING
Opinion
When speed stops
being enough
R
emember when free
next-day delivery
felt like exceptional
service? Now we
barely notice it unless
it doesn’t happen.
The same could be said for contactless
payments, online banking and
countless other conveniences.
Bridging finance has gone through
something similar. Being known
as a fast lender used to be enough
to stand out. Brokers remembered
the businesses that made decisions
promptly and completed cases while
everyone else was still waiting for
paperwork.
Those qualities are still important.
The difference today is that every
established bridging lender would
probably describe themselves in
exactly the same way. Fast decisions,
responsive service and experienced
underwriters have become the
minimum standard.
That’s one of the reasons I wasn’t
particularly surprised by one finding
in the latest Interpath and Bridging
& Development Lenders Association
(BDLA) UK Bridging Market Survey.
When brokers were asked what
influences lender selection, reputation
ranked ahead of both speed and price.
Historically, that might have raised
a few eyebrows; today it feels like a
fairly natural progression.
What brokers remember
The survey talks about reputation,
but if you asked me to sum it up in one
word, I’d probably say deliverability.
Can you actually do what you said
you were going to do, not just when
everything runs smoothly, but
when valuations change or an exit
takes longer than anyone originally
anticipated?
Property has always had a habit
of keeping everyone on their toes,
so none of those situations are
particularly unusual. The real test
isn’t whether challenges appear. It’s
54
The Intermediary | August 2026
how a lender behaves once they do. We
spend a lot of time talking to brokers,
valuers, solicitors, funders and other
lenders, and what’s interesting is
how oen those discussions arrive at
the same conclusion. People aren’t
really asking who claims to be the
fastest anymore. They’re asking who
will still be communicating openly
and working constructively when
a straightforward deal suddenly
becomes complicated.
Reputation is rarely built on the day
a loan completes; it’s built through
dozens of decisions made consistently
throughout the life of a transaction.
Demonstrated,
not described
One recent transaction really brought
this home to me. The borrower’s
original introducer had dropped the
ball on the exit strategy, leaving the
client frustrated and searching for
another broker.
Rather than simply concentrating
on protecting our own position, we
worked closely with the borrower and
their new broker, giving them the
time and support needed to move the
refinance forward. The interesting
part came aerwards, when that
broker recommended us to a much
wider network because they’d seen
first-hand how we dealt with a
difficult situation.
That recommendation didn’t come
because we’d offered the cheapest
loan or completed the quickest
transaction. It came because we’d
demonstrated how we behave when
circumstances change. I’d argue
that’s a much stronger foundation
for a long-term relationship than any
turnaround time.
Trust creates speed
People sometimes talk about trust and
speed as though they’re competing
priorities, but I don’t believe they are.
A broker who knows a lender’s
appetite is more likely to present
GAVIN DIAMOND
is CEO at Inspired Lending
the right case from the outset. They
understand what information will be
needed and have the confidence that
any issues will be discussed openly
rather than becoming unwelcome
surprises later in the process.
That familiarity removes
unnecessary friction. Conversations
become more straightforward,
expectations are clearer and
transactions oen progress more
efficiently because both sides
understand how the other works.
Ironically, trust oen becomes one of
the biggest contributors to speed.
Beyond completion
One of the biggest challenges across
the market at the moment isn’t
necessarily geing deals started.
It’s geing borrowers successfully
through their exit, particularly
where refinancing into the term
market is involved.
I oen remind borrowers that
they don’t have three months before
their bridge expires. They have three
months to complete a refinance, and
those are very different things.
Term refinances rarely happen
overnight, so planning ahead has
never been more important.
Personally, I think that’s another
reason reputation has risen up the
agenda. Fast decisions will always be
important, and they should be. But
once every credible lender is capable
of moving quickly, brokers naturally
start asking a different question: who
do I trust to still be alongside me if
the deal becomes more complicated
halfway through?
For me, that’s where lasting
relationships are built. Speed might
get a lender onto a broker’s shortlist,
but it’s deliverability that keeps
them there. ●
