We are strong believers in responsible lending, as it helps borrowers and our investors. But what does ‘responsible lending’ really mean?
We have a proven history of providing finance for farmers and agricultural businesses that might find it difficult to secure a loan from the banks and that may not appreciate the true cost of borrowing. As a specialist lender to UK agriculture, we are well positioned to understand the issues facing the sector and take a balanced view of your borrowing requirements. We are also a responsible and ethical lender, so your financial health is important to us and the following principles guide how we work with you:
- Openness and honesty
- Treating you fairly and with respect
- Providing clear, understandable information in a timely manner
- Treating all your personal information as confidential and in accordance with Data Protection legislation
- Working with you to understand and plan how our loan will be repaid
- Not approving a loan that we believe over-commits you
- Being considerate in all our dealing with you, particularly on payment issues and arrears
We only lend to you if you can demonstrate our loan is affordable and improves the value of your business, and that you have a credible plan to repay the loan. In cases where we cannot provide a loan we will try to explain why, and where applicable point you to debt advice and support.
- It’s not an easy decision to apply for a loan. Therefore, as a responsible lender we ask that you
- Assess your current personal and financial situation prior to making an application
- Deal with us in an open, honest and timely manner, by providing complete and accurate information in all your dealings with us, otherwise we would have to terminate the process
- Understand and agree to the terms and conditions on which the loan is made, as well as taking professional advice before proceeding
- Contact us promptly if you need further advice or support.