The Intermediary – February 2026 - Flipbook - Page 34
In Profile.
Q&A
Jessica O’Connor speaks to Alex Alexandrou, head of sales
– residential lending at Cohort Capital, about the lender’s
recent product launch and borrower demand in an
increasingly specialised market
I
n a specialist lending market that has
grown more competitive, lenders are
increasingly being judged not just on price,
but on how they behave under pressure.
While speed remains essential, it is no
longer enough on its own. Modern borrowers
are looking for certainty, and a sense that
decisions are being made by people who truly
understand them.
For Cohort Capital, that philosophy has shaped
its growth to date. With the launch of its new
ResiOne product, the lender is now seeking to
bring its same relationship-led approach into
the £1m to £6m space.
The Intermediary sat down with Alex
Alexandrou, head of sales – residential
lending at Cohort Capital, to discuss this
new launch, the forces shaping demand
for specialist finance, and how Cohort is
positioning itself for sustainable growth.
That certainty ucomes from quick decisionmaking and lenders having, as Alexandrou puts
it, “the discretion and mandate” to act. While
those core drivers have remained constant, he
believes awareness has expanded the market:
“Bridging 10 years ago wasn’t a tool that everyone
was aware of, whereas nowadays it’s recognised
as mainstream.”
The challenge now, he argues, is sustainability.
With large volumes of capital entering the market,
he sees a divergence emerging between “deep
rooted experienced lenders like Cohort that have
multiple funding lines and discretionary
capital” and newer entrants reliant on
franchise-style funding lines.
ResiOne launch
Building on that backdrop of sustained
demand, Cohort’s launch of ResiOne
is rooted less in a sudden gap in the
market and more in the confidence that
Sustainable bridging
it can operate differently within a space
Alexandrou’s route into specialist lending
that has become increasingly crowded. On
was shaped by an early pull toward property
the surface, Alexandrou acknowledges that the
finance. After finishing his degree and working in
market is already well served, as he notes: “At
ALEX
ALEXANDROU first glance, you could look at the market and
a property office, he joined Octopus Real Estate,
building a solid foundation in property lending
say there’s lots of people playing in the £1m to
that would later inform his approach. It was there
£6m loan sizes.”
that he first crossed paths with Cohort’s founder,
However, he argues, much of that activity sits at
Matt Thame.
the upper limit of lenders’ comfort zones, whereas
Alexandrou explains: “That’s why I had that
for Cohort, this bracket is firmly within its natural
natural affinity to Cohort – I’ve always kept an eye
operating range. Differentiation, however, goes
on what Matt’s been up to. That is what attracted
beyond risk parameters. Alexandrou is clear that
me to the business. I liked that they were a small,
ResiOne has been designed around borrower need
experienced and nimble team – deploying a lot of
rather than funding constraints.
capital in the market across a variety of interesting
He adds: “We’re looking to design a product
and quality assets.”
that borrowers actually need, rather than forcing a
From Alexandrou’s perspective, the same
product that’s been derived from funding lines.”
principles that attracted him to the business also
That philosophy carries through to underwriting,
underpin demand for unregulated residential
where institutional experience meets flexibility.
bridging more broadly.
“We’ve got underwriters that come from
“I think demand hasn’t really changed,” he says.
institutions long in the tooth, so they’ve got good
“With bridging, that speed is always going to be
rigour. But at the same time, we’re a nimble team
an element. People need certainty because it’s
with that experience, so we can be really agile and
normally a high-pressure situation. They don’t
pragmatic with our decision making. We’re really
have time to mess around or be messed around.”
trying to avoid any ‘tick box’ style lending.”
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The Intermediary | February 2026
