Sirius Finance has appointed two new senior associates to the firm. Richard Crook has joined the company following the appointment of Mark Wadmore in July. Crook has more than 35 years’ experience in banking, which includes over 20 years of working with SMEs. Wadmore has been part of the mortgage lending community for more than two decades, working with brokerages to arrange loans for high-net-worth clients. His expertise lies in the specialist lending sector, arranging loans with private banks and boutique lenders, as well as buy-to-let mortgages, bridging loans, self-build, commercial lending and expat mortgages.

LiveMore has appointed David Wilson as its new chief operating officer. He joins from Barclaycard UK, where he was director of operations, being accountable for service delivery to 18 million customers and enabling a 23% market share. As part of his new role, Wilson will look to ensure the company’s operational effectiveness as its move through a phase of accelerated growth. He will focus on scaling the company’s operations, aligning cross-functional teams, optimising processes and driving execution to meet the firm’s business goals.

Black & White Bridging has opened two new offices in London and Manchester in a move to expand out of its base near Bath. The firm said that the new offices will give it a greater presence in the north and south east, while supporting team members already in those locations. They will also help Black & White attract new talent from wider geographic areas in its bid to double in size again by the end of 2025, having already doubled its total lending in the past two years. This announcement follows the news of Black & White’s new funder and a new funding line worth over £100m. This has enabled it to increase its maximum loan size to £7.5m, up from £2.5m, which can be higher on referral.

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