OakNorth Bank continues growing debt finance team to support businesses in the North

OakNorth Bank– the UK bank powered byOakNorth– today announces the expansion of its Manchester team with two new hires, as demand for loans from businesses across the North continues to grow.

Paul Atherton joins as an Associate of Debt Finance having spent the past 10 years supporting SMEs at Ballard Evans Corporate Finance Boutique. Gareth Bennett joins as an Associate Director and has almost 15 years’ experience in the industry with the last eight being spent at Allied Irish Bank.

Ben Barbanel, Head of Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank said: “Despite the economic challenges being caused by COVID-19, OakNorth Bank has continued to lend to viable British businesses and support strong management teams through these unprecedented times. Since March, the bank has approved c.£800m in new loans including over £300m in CBILS and CLBILS loans. To date, we have lent c.£175m to businesses across the North and have a very strong pipeline. We have therefore continued to grow our team and expand our capabilities in Manchester so we can keep up with this demand. With the help of Paul Atherton and Gareth Bennett, we’ll be able to further support SMEs in this region.”