Hampshire Trust Bank has appointed Paul Bartley as managing director of its asset finance division, effective immediately.

Bartley has held a number of different roles in the industry throughout his career, most notably as a founder director and shareholder of Close Leasing between 2007 and 2017. More recently, Bartley founded and built FairSquare.com – a digital platform in the retail car sales and finance market.

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“Paul has a potent blend of skills and combines deep technical knowledge of asset finance with a famously compelling leadership style and true entrepreneurial flair,” said Matthew Wyles, chief executive of Hampshire Trust Bank.

“He is what I call a rainmaker and I am thrilled that Paul has decided to come and join me and the team as we continue to build our momentum based on a highly distinctive and resilient franchise. Paul is a demonstrable champion and ideally qualified to spearhead our drive into the specialist asset finance market.”

Bartley added: “I was impressed by bank’s strategic coherence and clear focus on what really drives success. The board and management have an appetite for innovation and I can see a huge opportunity to build on what the bank has already achieved in the asset finance market.

“The bank has a strong, sound foundation on which to build out new products and expand across new specialist market sectors. I am delighted to be joining the team to lead the business on the next stage of its development.”

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The specialist business finance branch of the bank recently completed a £990,000 asset refinancing facility for a South Wales group of marine companies.

The structured asset finance team used the existing fixed assets of the group to consolidate their current debt facilities, whilst taking a second charge over the freehold of the marinas. The facility delivers an annual saving of £300,000 which significantly improves cashflow and enabled the group to make considerable further investment.