United Trust Bank (UTB) has promoted Helen Wakeford to head of unregulated underwriting for bridging finance.

Wakeford has worked in finance for nearly 20 years fulfilling various roles in credit, portfolio and relationship management with lenders including Metro Bank, RBS and HSBC.

She joined UTB in August 2019 as a credit officer and quickly applied her skills and experience to the specialist mortgage and bridging businesses.

The appointment continues the restructuring of the bank’s bridging underwriting function into two dedicated teams.

One of these teams is responsible for managing regulated bridging applications, while the other looks after unregulated applications.

In her new role, Wakeford will be responsible for managing underwriting in the unregulated bridging team and ensuring brokers receive a quick and efficient service.

She will be working closely with senior colleagues to develop and deliver the strategy for the growth in both the bank’s regulated and unregulated sectors.

These include Becky Kidby, bridging’s head of operations Anita Kirkbright, head of sales Paula Purdy and director of bridging Sundeep Patel.

Wakeford says: “I am delighted to be joining UTB’s bridging finance team at this exciting time and I look forward to working with Sundeep, Becky, Anita and Paula as we grow UTB’s share of the unregulated and regulated bridging market.”

Patel says: “Since joining the bank, Helen has proven to be a talented member of the credit team and her knowledge and experience made her the perfect choice for this new role.

“Her appointment continues the ongoing restructuring of the bank’s bridging operations to ensure brokers receive the same high levels of service for regulated and unregulated bridging loan applications.”