Former Cambridge & Counties boss gets green light for new bank
The former chief executive of Leicester-based Cambridge & Counties Bank has been given the green light for his latest financial venture.
Redwood Bank, Britain’s newest business bank for SMEs, has announced that just over four months after securing its initial banking licence, it has completed its ‘mobilisation’ phase and has now opened for business, offering secured SME mortgages for business owners, as well as for experienced commercial and residential property investors. It has also launched a business deposit account.
Redwood says it is the first business bank with a 100% cloud-based infrastructure.
The bank is wholly-owned by Redwood Financial Partners, a company controlled by Jonathan and David Rowland, in which Warrington Borough Council has a 33% stake. As part of this, the council’s executive board has approved an investment of £30m in Redwood as part of the bank’s capital funding.
Redwood Bank (redwoodbank.co.uk) is headquartered in Letchworth, from which an experienced team provides a highly personalised, relationship-driven service nationwide. The bank’s main focus will initially be Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire as well as in Warrington, where Redwood Bank have also opened a Warrington & North West regional office to support SME growth in the town and region.
Gary Wilkinson, co-founder and chief executive of Redwood Bank, said: “We are delighted to be open for business so soon following the issuing of our initial banking licence. We aim to offer a real alternative for small and medium sized organisations, providing them with simple transparent loans and savings accounts, great service and a promise that our money is being invested into British businesses and our local communities.
“As many traditional banks are hampered by poor lending practices from their past and their legacy systems, we are perfectly positioned to help British SMEs take advantage of property opportunities by offering a highly-tailored service for clients that is built around our very experienced regional managers.”
