Shawbrook Bank broke even in May 2012 after 16 months of trading and went on to secure profit for each subsequent month of the year, resulting in an underlying profit of GBP2.6m for the year end 2012.
March 2012 saw Shawbrook acquire Singers Asset Finance (now Shawbrook Asset Finance) to enhance its offering to SMEs. The costs associated with this acquisition, alongside significant investment in infrastructure to support future growth, led to a reduction in the underlying profitability of GBP2.6m to an accounting loss before tax of GBP7.8m.
Each of Shawbrook’s specialist lending businesses, which support over 18,000 small business and personal customers, delivered strong growth in 2012.
• Asset finance grew by 7 per cent to GBP348m
• Commercial lending grew by 437 per cent to GBP201m
• Secured lending retained its market leadership position growing to GBP163m, up 267 per cent
• Consumer lending grew from a standing start to GBP29m
Shawbrook supports its lending with a savings model that provides best in class products at attractive rates. Shawbrook has built a well-diversified depositor base of over 22,000 personal and small business accounts with an average deposit in excess of GBP41,000.
Ian Henderson, chief executive of Shawbrook Bank, says: “Shawbrook has demonstrated the strength of its business model in the last 12 months. We’re proud to have increased our lending so significantly and to have shown a continual improvement in profitability as the business has grown.
“These positive results are just the beginning for us. When we launched Shawbrook we knew there was a desire in the market for a new kind of bank, offering common sense decision-making and fast, efficient systems. Our results reflect the significant demand that we have experienced from credit worthy SMEs and individual customers. After exceeding our targets in 2012, we are aiming to continue this trend with a significant increase in our lending to businesses and consumers in 2013.
“Our focus remains on ensuring that growth is delivered in a controlled manner, evidenced by the prudent way in which credit, capital and liquidity are managed. Significant investment across the business has helped to support our rapid growth and these results go some way toward showing the impact we have made in the market. This demonstrates excellent progress for such a new bank in the market, and will pave the way for what will be a hugely successful 2013.”
