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A º£½ÇÊÓƵ-wide property finance provider has moved its headquarters to Cardiff as the firm looks to grow its presence in Wales. Signature Property Finance, which was co-founded by Welshman Tony Gilbertson, decided to relocate its registered offices and headquarters from Birmingham to the Welsh capital, opening new larger offices in Nantgarw.

The privately-owned firm said the move was a good opportunity as it already has an established presence amongst property developers, landlords and commercial brokers in Wales. It added that increasing opportunities and the company’s growing Welsh workforce will mean the switch to Nantgarw will improve efficiency and deal speed.

Chief operating officer Thomas Howells, originally from Pontardawe, said the new larger offices would provide room for the business to grow its team in Wales. The firm has already employed two new members of staff at its Cardiff office. “The move of our registered office to Cardiff was an important decision for our future and not one taken lightly. There were good business reasons, but also valuable personal reasons influencing our decision,” he said.

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“We have a strong commitment to building relationships with more brokers and property developers across all the Welsh regions. They have already shown their ambition to work with a lender that truly understands the local market and we wanted to ensure this was reflected in our location choices.

“Our new Nantgarw office is bigger than the old Birmingham one and provides plenty of space, not only for collaborative working, but room for expansion as we grow our team. We have already added two new client relationship executives, who both live close to the office, to our graduate employment scheme to leverage local talent to improve our service.”

The company’s Birmingham staff will continue working at its office there, while its Welsh workforce will work from the Cardiff office going forward rather than commuting to the West Midlands.

“Overall, we believe that this move is a great way to invest in Wales and help local developers meet the growing demand for good quality modern living. We believe we are one of only a very small number of specifically bridging principal lenders in Wales, and it feels good to bring the business home,” said Mr Howells.

“The Signature commitment to the region extends beyond lending and recruitment as we look to embed the business in the local community. We are committed to sponsoring local teams and events to ensure the Signature brand achieves the recognition it deserves, whilst giving something back.

“We take inspiration from The Development Bank of Wales, which provides funding that benefits Wales and its people, an ethos we share. However, growth of our business also in Scotland and across England means we will continue to lend wherever opportunities arise to support brokers and property developers.”