FEATURE
Striking – Middlesbrough is not just as good as anywhere else to start a bank , Stephen says – it ’ s better !
the opportunities available .
For example , up to £ 4.8bn is being planned to invest in infrastructure in towns across the UK with another £ 2.4bn being shared between 101 towns to unleash their economic potential .
Add to that the fact that an estimated 27m properties in the country don ’ t meet energy efficient requirements and there are government initiatives to help improve this situation , and you can see where getting the right support could make all the difference .
What if there was a bank that had communities at its heart , with a real understanding of the property industry , a flexible approach to funding projects , a team with in-depth local knowledge of and passion for the areas they operated in and who combined technology with human logic to speed up and simplify decision-making ?
Enter GB Bank . GB Bank is making a purposeful and positive impact in the community , giving SME developers and investors a bank they can rely on for property and regional regeneration .
We are passionate about driving economic growth in our communities and playing our part in regional progress that people can see as well as feel .
So where does Middlesbrough come into this ?
Building a solid foundation
Middlesbrough and Tees Valley exemplify GB Bank ’ s purpose and values : it is an area with an incredible sense of community , where businesses support each other and residents care for their neighbours .
It is an area that ’ s been through some tough times and continues to face challenges , but it ’ s a place of great opportunity .
For example , new home registrations in 2020 / 21 rose by 74 per cent in this region , with completions up by 34 per cent – the highest figures across the UK . There is appetite and a real need for more , and GB Bank is helping to make that happen .
On the up Tees Valley is also an area with great prospects – it ’ s a fantastic place that ’ s only getting better .
Witness some of the huge investments being put into the area by major players in sectors such as renewable energy , green hydrogen and advanced manufacturing – companies believe in the Tees Valley and are investing in it in a big way .
The thriving and fast-expanding digital technology sector is creating waves across the world , while significant investments in developments like the Treasury Campus in Darlington demonstrate buy-in from the government .
There is a huge appetite for property developments , whether that be more housing for the growing workforce , community centres for people to get together or commercial spaces for businesses to start up and grow .
Couple this with an increased demand for flexible property lending to bring these projects from blueprint to reality in a timely fashion , and you can see how GB Bank is driving change in the Tees Valley and beyond .
Already this year we have seen over £ 100m worth of enquiries for our lending products with 36 per cent of these enquiries from Tees Valley and the wider North-East – projects in Hartlepool , Stockton , Wynyard , Middlesbrough and Saltburn are among those to have come in .
With such high and increasing demand for our financial solutions , it makes perfect sense for one of the UK ’ s newest banks to be based in one of the country ’ s most forward-looking areas .
We are so proud to be the only UK bank based in Middlesbrough – and we want you to be just as proud of us .
GB Bank offers flexible lending solutions for residential and commercial developments between £ 26,000 and £ 3m . We welcome conversations around future opportunities , so don ’ t hesitate to get in touch with us at gbbank . co . uk to find out more .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 119