Expert Lending secures institutional funding line to scale bridging finance
What's the deal? Expert Lending, a UK bridging finance lender founded by Bruce Burkitt, has secured a new institutional funding line from Renaissance Asset Finance, a subsidiary of private bank Arbuthnot Latham. The facility will boost the lender's capacity to write loans across the professional borrower market.
Since opening its Mayfair office in May 2025, Expert Lending has deployed more than £15M of its own capital to prove its underwriting model and build a track record before seeking outside backing.
Why now? The timing follows a year of self-funded lending designed to attract institutional interest. Burkitt said the quality of the firm's origination pipeline and credit discipline "naturally attracted institutional interest," making this the logical next step.
The new facility will fund expanded lending capacity, operational infrastructure, and continued growth in specialist finance.
What could go wrong? Bridging finance is inherently short-term and tied to property markets. A slowdown in UK property transactions or a rise in borrower defaults could test the lender's underwriting model — one that has only been in operation for about a year.
Scaling quickly with institutional money also risks diluting the relationship-driven approach Expert Lending says sets it apart.
The signal: Institutional capital is flowing into smaller, specialist lenders that can demonstrate disciplined underwriting in niche markets. Duncan Childs, director of wholesale finance at Renaissance, cited the team's 30-plus years of property experience and "robust underwriting standards" as key reasons for backing the business.
The deal reflects a broader pattern: established banks and asset finance firms are partnering with nimble specialist lenders rather than competing with them directly, using wholesale funding lines to gain exposure to higher-yielding loan books without building origination capabilities from scratch.
Read more: finance-connect.com
