Why do brokers and borrowers look for Hampshire Trust Bank alternatives?

The most common reason is pricing visibility. Hampshire Trust Bank does not publish rates for direct comparison, issuing them instead to registered brokers through rate cards on its PUMA intermediary portal. Every lender in this guide publishes at least a starting monthly rate, so you can sanity check a quote before you commit to a case. The second reason is access. HTB is intermediary-only, so a borrower cannot approach it directly. The third is timing: HTB targets 21 days from application to completion on bridging, while West One Loans publishes typical completion of 2 to 3 weeks and Shawbrook and Together publish 2 to 4 weeks.

Which alternative publishes the lowest bridging rate?

LendInvest publishes the lowest starting figure on this panel at 0.54% per month, with an 11.1% APR representative on bridging. Shawbrook, Together, West One and Octopus Real Estate all start at 0.55% per month, so in practice the entry pricing across the specialist bridging market is tightly clustered. The differences that actually change your cost sit in the top of each range and in the fee structure: Together goes up to 1.5% per month and Shawbrook to 1.25%, while Octopus publishes no ceiling rate at all and prices the upper end case by case.

Can I get more than £35 million from an alternative lender?

Yes. Hampshire Trust Bank recently raised its maximum lending per customer from £25 million to £35 million across specialist mortgages, development finance and bridging. Octopus Real Estate lends up to £100,000,000, which is the only figure on this panel that clears HTB's ceiling outright. Shawbrook Bank and Together each lend up to £25,000,000 and West One Loans up to £20,000,000, so for a transaction between £25 million and £35 million, HTB remains competitive on size and the argument for switching is about pricing transparency rather than capacity.

Do any of these lenders let me apply directly instead of through a broker?

Distribution models vary and you should confirm before you start. Hampshire Trust Bank is explicitly intermediary-only: borrowers cannot apply directly and must go through a registered mortgage or finance broker. Recognise Bank publishes an online enquiry form that takes minutes to submit and aims to make initial contact within 24 hours. Shawbrook, Together, West One, Precise Mortgages and Octopus Real Estate all have substantial intermediary channels, and complex development or large bridging cases are usually packaged better by a broker regardless of whether direct application is technically possible.

Is a specialist bank safer than a non-bank bridging lender?

Bank status changes the regulatory footing rather than the loan terms. Hampshire Trust Bank Plc is a full deposit-taking bank, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the FCA and the PRA under firm reference number 204601, with deposits protected by the FSCS. Shawbrook Bank Limited holds firm reference number 204574 and Recognise Bank Limited holds 849404 on the same dual-regulated basis. Non-bank lenders such as West One Secured Loans Ltd, firm reference number 776026, are FCA authorised but not PRA supervised. FSCS protection applies to deposits, not to the loan you are taking, so for a borrower this affects counterparty durability rather than your rights under the facility.

How should I compare quotes when one lender will not publish a rate?

Ask for the total cost to redemption in pounds rather than the headline monthly rate. On a bridging facility that means the monthly interest, the arrangement fee, the exit fee if any, valuation and legal costs, and any early repayment charge. Hampshire Trust Bank publishes no Early Repayment Charges on bridging finance, which is a real advantage on a case that redeems early, and it targets 21 days to completion with dual legal representation. A cheaper monthly rate elsewhere can still lose to that once fees and a slower completion are priced in, so compare the whole figure.

Hampshire Trust Bank Alternatives: 7 Specialist Property Lenders Compared: Lendus

Why consider alternatives to Hampshire Trust Bank?

Hampshire Trust Bank is a genuine specialist bank rather than a lending platform. It was originally incorporated in 1977, relaunched in 2014 under Alchemy Partners ownership, and it writes residential and commercial bridging, development finance and specialist mortgages including buy-to-let and semi-commercial. It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the FCA and the PRA under firm reference number 204601. On bridging it targets 21 days from application to completion with dual legal representation, and it charges no Early Repayment Charges. Per-customer lending recently rose from £25 million to £35 million.

The reasons to look elsewhere are structural, not reputational. HTB is intermediary-only, so you cannot apply to it directly, and it does not publish rates. Pricing goes out to registered brokers as rate cards through its PUMA portal, which means you cannot benchmark a quote yourself before the case is underway. It also publishes no minimum loan size, so a smaller borrower has no way to judge upfront whether the case is worth submitting. And a 21-day bridging target, while respectable, is beaten by lenders publishing 2 to 3 week completions.

The seven lenders below all operate in the same specialist property space and all publish something HTB does not.

Top Hampshire Trust Bank alternatives

1. Shawbrook Bank, Best like-for-like bank that publishes its rates

Shawbrook is the closest structural match to HTB: a UK specialist bank authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the FCA and the PRA under firm reference number 204574, writing bridging, commercial mortgages and business loans. The difference is that Shawbrook publishes a bridging band of 0.55% to 1.25% per month and quotes commercial mortgages from 5.5% per annum, so you can price a case before you submit it.

Rates and amounts: 0.55% to 1.25% per month on bridging; 10.8% APR representative on bridging; commercial mortgages from 5.5% per annum; £50,000 to £25,000,000.

Eligibility: 12+ months trading preferred; none required for property-backed bridging. No turnover requirement for property finance.

Speed: Indicative terms within 24 hours; completion typically 2 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Same dual-regulated bank status as HTB; publishes a bridging rate band and a commercial mortgage starting rate; indicative terms inside a day; lends from £50,000.

Cons: Maximum £25,000,000 sits below HTB’s £35 million per-customer ceiling; unsecured business lending requires £200,000 turnover.

Best for: Borrowers who want HTB’s regulatory footing and specialist underwriting but need to see a rate before instructing a broker.

2. Together, Best for the widest published bridging range

Together publishes 0.55% to 1.5% per month with an 11.4% APR representative on bridging, lending £50,000 to £25,000,000 across bridging, commercial mortgages and development finance. The top of that band is the highest here, which is the point: Together prices for cases other lenders decline rather than turning them away. No trading history is required for property-backed lending.

Rates and amounts: 0.55% to 1.5% per month; 11.4% APR representative; £50,000 to £25,000,000.

Eligibility: None required for property-backed lending; income and asset position reviewed.

Speed: Indicative terms within 24 hours; completion 2 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Widest published rate band, which signals appetite for complex cases; same three product lines as HTB; no trading history requirement; indicative terms within 24 hours.

Cons: Rate ceiling of 1.5% per month is the highest on this panel; Together Financial Services Limited is a group holding company and does not itself hold an FCA firm reference number, so confirm which entity is lending to you.

Best for: Complex or non-standard property cases where HTB’s underwriting has already said no and price is secondary to getting the deal done.

3. West One Loans, Best for faster completion

West One publishes a credit decision within 24 hours and typical completion in 2 to 3 weeks, which is the shortest published completion window in this comparison and undercuts HTB’s 21-day bridging target at the fast end. It lends £50,000 to £20,000,000 on bridging and commercial mortgages, at 0.55% to 1.3% per month with buy-to-let mortgages from 5.8% per annum.

Rates and amounts: 0.55% to 1.3% per month on bridging; 11.2% APR representative on bridging; BTL mortgages from 5.8% per annum; £50,000 to £20,000,000.

Eligibility: None required for property-backed bridging; lending is property and asset backed.

Speed: Credit decision within 24 hours; completion typically 2 to 3 weeks.

Pros: Fastest published completion window here; credit decision inside a day; no trading history or turnover requirement; publishes both a bridging band and a BTL starting rate.

Cons: Maximum £20,000,000 is the lowest ceiling among the larger lenders here; no development finance, so a scheme requiring build funding needs a different lender.

Best for: Auction purchases and chain-break cases where a completion date is fixed and 21 days is too long.

4. Octopus Real Estate, Best for lending above £35 million

Octopus Real Estate is the only lender here whose ceiling clears HTB’s. It lends £50,000 to £100,000,000 across bridging, development finance and commercial mortgages, pricing residential bridging from 0.55% per month and commercial bridging from 0.85% per month. It publishes no ceiling rate, assessing the upper end case by case, and offers a rate discount of up to 0.15% per month on bridging and development loans that improve a property’s EPC rating.

Rates and amounts: Residential bridging from 0.55% per month; commercial bridging from 0.85% per month; no published ceiling rate; EPC improvement discount of up to 0.15% per month; £50,000 to £100,000,000.

Eligibility: No minimum trading history published. Lending is assessed against the security property, scheme and exit strategy, and newly formed SPVs are commonly used.

Speed: No fixed timeframe published. Octopus states it delivers fast completions on complex cases with a dedicated case team for large bridging and development loans.

Pros: Nearly three times HTB’s per-customer ceiling; explicit EPC-linked rate discount; SPV structures accepted as standard; same product spread as HTB.

Cons: No published ceiling rate, so the top of the range is as opaque as HTB’s; no published completion timescale; development and refurbishment rates are not published on the lender’s website.

Best for: Large or portfolio-scale transactions above £35 million, and schemes where an EPC improvement can be evidenced.

5. Precise Mortgages, Best for mid-sized bridging with a published band

Precise Mortgages, a trading name of Charter Court Financial Services Limited, publishes 0.59% to 1.3% per month on bridging with a 10.9% APR representative, plus commercial and buy-to-let mortgages from 5.5% per annum. It lends £75,000 to £15,000,000, so it sits squarely in the mid-market rather than chasing the largest transactions, and it publishes a credit decision inside 48 hours.

Rates and amounts: 0.59% to 1.3% per month on bridging; 10.9% APR representative; commercial and BTL mortgages from 5.5% per annum; £75,000 to £15,000,000.

Eligibility: None required for property-backed lending; property and income backed.

Speed: Credit decision within 48 hours; completion typically 3 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Publishes both ends of its bridging band and a mortgage starting rate; established specialist mortgage operation behind it; no trading history requirement.

Cons: Minimum £75,000 is higher than the £50,000 entry point at Shawbrook, Together and West One; completion of 3 to 4 weeks is slower than HTB’s 21-day target; bridging only, no development finance.

Best for: Standard residential or commercial bridging between £75,000 and £15 million where a published rate band matters more than the fastest possible completion.

6. Recognise Bank, Best for a published commercial mortgage rate

Recognise Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the FCA and the PRA under firm reference number 849404. It publishes business bridging from 0.79% per month on residential security and 0.84% per month on commercial security, and a Commercial Standard Variable Rate of 9.50%, which is one of the few published commercial mortgage rates on this panel. It lends £250,000 to £10,000,000 and asks for 2 or more years of trading.

Rates and amounts: Bridging from 0.79% per month on residential security, 0.84% per month on commercial security; Commercial Standard Variable Rate currently 9.50%; fixed commercial rates individually assessed; £250,000 to £10,000,000.

Eligibility: 2+ years trading. No turnover requirement published; assessed individually per application.

Speed: Online enquiry takes minutes; initial contact targeted within 24 hours; indicative terms within 48 hours.

Pros: Dual-regulated bank status like HTB; publishes an actual commercial mortgage variable rate rather than “on application”; direct online enquiry route; indicative terms within 48 hours.

Cons: Bridging starts at 0.79% per month, above the 0.55% floor at Shawbrook, Together, West One and Octopus; £250,000 minimum is the highest here; 2 years of trading required, where HTB publishes no trading rule; no development finance.

Best for: Trading businesses buying or refinancing their own premises who want a bank rate they can see before applying.

7. LendInvest, Best for the lowest published bridging rate floor

LendInvest publishes the lowest starting bridging rate in this comparison at 0.54% per month, with an 11.1% APR representative and development finance from 7% per annum. It lends £75,000 to £15,000,000 across bridging, development finance and commercial mortgages, and publishes a credit decision within 24 to 48 hours with legal completion in 2 to 4 weeks.

Rates and amounts: 0.54% to 1.2% per month on bridging; 11.1% APR representative; development finance from 7% per annum; £75,000 to £15,000,000.

Eligibility: None required for property-backed lending.

Speed: Credit decision within 24 to 48 hours; legal completion 2 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Lowest published bridging rate floor and the lowest published ceiling at 1.2% per month; publishes a development finance starting rate, which HTB does not; same three product lines as HTB.

Cons: Minimum £75,000; maximum £15,000,000 is well under HTB’s £35 million ceiling; completion of 2 to 4 weeks is not faster than HTB’s target at the slow end. Check its current regulatory status on the FCA Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk before committing.

Best for: Borrowers running a straightforward bridging or development case who want the tightest published rate band on the market.

Comparison table

Lender	Loan range	Bridging rate	Products	Speed
Shawbrook Bank	£50,000 to £25,000,000	0.55% to 1.25% per month	Bridging, commercial mortgages, business loans	Terms in 24 hours, completion 2 to 4 weeks
Together	£50,000 to £25,000,000	0.55% to 1.5% per month	Bridging, commercial mortgages, development	Terms in 24 hours, completion 2 to 4 weeks
West One Loans	£50,000 to £20,000,000	0.55% to 1.3% per month	Bridging, commercial mortgages	Decision in 24 hours, completion 2 to 3 weeks
Octopus Real Estate	£50,000 to £100,000,000	From 0.55% per month	Bridging, development, commercial mortgages	Not published
Precise Mortgages	£75,000 to £15,000,000	0.59% to 1.3% per month	Bridging	Decision in 48 hours, completion 3 to 4 weeks
Recognise Bank	£250,000 to £10,000,000	From 0.79% per month	Bridging, commercial mortgages	Terms within 48 hours
LendInvest	£75,000 to £15,000,000	0.54% to 1.2% per month	Bridging, development, commercial mortgages	Decision in 24 to 48 hours
Hampshire Trust Bank	No minimum published, up to £35,000,000	Not published	Bridging, development, commercial mortgages	Bridging target 21 days to completion

How to choose the right alternative

Choose Shawbrook Bank if you want the same dual-regulated bank counterparty as HTB but need to see a bridging band and a commercial mortgage starting rate before you instruct anyone.

Choose Together if the case is complex enough that appetite matters more than price, and you accept a rate that can reach 1.5% per month.

Choose West One Loans if a completion date is fixed, because 2 to 3 weeks is the shortest published window here.

Choose Octopus Real Estate if the transaction is above HTB’s £35 million ceiling, or if an EPC improvement on the scheme can earn the published discount of up to 0.15% per month.

Choose Precise Mortgages for conventional bridging between £75,000 and £15 million where a published band at both ends is worth more than the last few days of speed.

Choose Recognise Bank if you are a trading business of 2 or more years buying your own premises and want a published commercial mortgage rate rather than a quote on application.

Choose LendInvest if you want the tightest published bridging band available, from 0.54% to 1.2% per month, on a straightforward case.

A closing point on comparison. HTB’s no Early Repayment Charge policy on bridging is worth real money on a case that redeems in month three, and its dual legal representation is what makes the 21-day target achievable. Get the total cost to redemption from every lender you shortlist, including fees and legals, and compare those figures rather than the headline monthly rate. Lendus is an introducer and compares the panel; it does not lend or make credit decisions.

What are the best alternatives to Hampshire Trust Bank?

In short