Acre has partnered with Comentis, integrating the duty of care assessment provider’s financial vulnerability assessments directly into the platform.

The partnership will give brokers a compliant process to assess clients for vulnerable circumstances and act on any flags within Acre’s client portal and CRM, helping to deliver better outcomes for customers and meet FCA regulatory commitments.

Sitting within Acre, Comentis assessments are automatically triggered early in the client journey to ensure all information is gathered and assessed in a consistent manner before cases can progress further.

Access Financial Services (Access FS) has appointed Alan Baldwin as its new director of compliance.

He joins the firm with experience spanning both the broker and lender sectors, giving him an understanding of the challenges facing advisers and the regulatory environment. Baldwin has previously held senior compliance positions at organisations including Connect Mortgages.

His appointment comes as Access continues to expand its mortgage and protection proposition, invest in technology and strengthen the support available to advisers access to its network.

Lester Aldridge LLP has joined the Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA) as an associate member.

Lester Aldridge is a full-service law firm advising individuals and businesses on a regional, national and international basis. Its services include real estate, real estate and development finance, corporate and commercial law, dispute resolution, litigation and recoveries, restructuring, and insolvency and private wealth.

The BLDA represents the interests of bridging and development lenders and their customers, with more than 100 lender and associate members, with a collective loan book of more than £11.5bn.

GB Bank has provided a £20.5m structured funding facility to support a specialist funding partner in the acquisition of a 214-unit residential portfolio in the North West.

The facility was structured at 75% LTV with an agreed exit strategy involving the division of the portfolio across four SPVs to facilitate a flexible refinance, while supporting he ongoing management of the portfolio.

The transaction also involved a detailed assessment of the portfolio’s rental income, with all 214 properties fully occupied at completion and generating immediate income.

---