The Intermediary – February 2026 - Flipbook - Page 12
Q&A
Atom bank
The Intermediary speaks with David Castling, head of
intermediary distribution at Atom bank about the it’s recent
lending milestone and commercial market trends
It’s a real achievement that demonstrates just
how far Atom bank has come within this space.
For a relatively new bank to have built that sort of
balance sheet shows that we are meeting a clear
need among business borrowers, and delivering
the funding that often isn’t available from high
street lenders.
From my perspective, what’s really satisfying is
that we’ve managed to hit that milestone while
operating with such a small – but perfectly formed
– team. We might not have the sheer number of
business development managers (BDMs) that
some bigger players have, but the Atom BDMs
punch well above their weight.
Last year they oversaw a significant increase in
applications and completions and helped service
a panel that had expanded by a third, without any
extra resource.
In fact, over the last couple of years we have
doubled the size of our commercial loan book, so
we have really built some incredible momentum. I
don’t believe there’s a BDM team that understands
brokers so well, and goes the extra mile as often, in
this industry.
listen to brokers, and act upon their feedback.
We made a host of changes to our commercial
proposition last year. These ranged from
improvements to the broker portal to new product
developments like the Better Buildings initiative,
which means borrowers can access an interest rate
discount when raising funds against more energy
efficient properties.
In each case, those enhancements have come
about because of that close dialogue with brokers,
helping us mould a commercial proposition that
works for the clients they are seeing on a day-today basis.
I think they are also looking for flexibility. The
circumstances for each business will be different
and may not fit within neat criteria boxes. What
brokers are desperate for are lenders who
understand how a business works, will take all
of the factors into consideration, and look to
structure funding that reflects that particular
case. If you are serious about supporting small to
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as we are at
Atom bank, then you have to be adaptable.
It’s important for lenders to remember that
our relationships with brokers are symbiotic. We
provide them with more choice for their clients,
but we also rely on brokers for that distribution.
That’s why building lasting relationships, based
on trust, mutual respect and an understanding
of what we all need from that partnership, is
absolutely key.
What are brokers looking for
What makes a good BDM for a
from commercial lenders at the
commercial lender?
You recently hit the landmark
of reaching £1bn in commercial
loans on your balance sheet. How
significant is that milestone?
moment? How are you making sure
they get what they need?
I think all brokers, whether commercial or
otherwise, want to feel heard by the lenders
they work with. They are at the coalface, seeing
the challenges their clients face in accessing the
funding they need, but also the pressure points in
the lending process. As lenders, it’s crucial that we
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The Intermediary | February 2026
Communication is obviously key, but collaboration
is just as important in my view. Commercial cases
tend to be more complicated, with more moving
parts, than residential borrowing.
Every new borrower has their own story, and
these stories matter both in helping us understand
their objectives, but also where we fit in as a
lender. The key is finding the alignment between
what they want and what we need, and so taking
