Specialist property lender Roma Finance has agreed a new forward flow with J.P. Morgan, marking a major milestone in the lender’s growth strategy and significantly expanding its long-term lending capabilities.
This transaction will enable Roma to launch a range of long-term buy-to-let and commercial mortgage products, including terms of up to 40 years and competitive two, five and seven-year fixed rate options.
As part of the expansion, Roma is broadening its support for property investors and business owners through a new commercial and semi-commercial mortgage proposition covering owner-occupied premises, investment properties and PropCo OpCo structures across a wide range of Use Classes throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Today’s announcement represents the latest phase of Roma’s evolution from solely a bridging and development finance specialist into a full lifecycle funding partner for property professionals and business owners alike. These new products will support the company’s wider ambition to become the UK’s largest unregulated non-bank property lender.
By expanding into long-term finance, Roma will now be able to support customers more seamlessly throughout their entire property journey — from acquisition and refurbishment through to development exit and long-term hold strategies — strengthening its “Customer for Life” proposition.
To support its growth journey, Roma has recently recruited additional headcount with the team now at almost 100 colleagues, combining top tier industry hires with continued investment in Learning & Development programmes to nurture internal talent. Roma is also making significant investment in technology to further enhance the borrower and broker experience, building on its reputation for speed, service and relationship-led lending.
Scott Marshall, Managing Director at Roma Finance, said: “This is a landmark moment for Roma Finance, particularly in the current climate, and a hugely exciting step in the continued evolution of our business. Securing a forward flow with J.P. Morgan is not only transformational for our growth plans, but also provides significant support to our strategy and our people as we look to capitalise on this exciting opportunity.
“Our vision has always been to support brokers, property investors and developers throughout their entire journey, and this transaction enables us to strengthen that ‘Customer for Life’ proposition even further. Customers can now move seamlessly from bridging and development finance into long-term mortgage solutions, all under one roof, with further enhanced speed, flexibility and service.
“We are continuing to invest heavily in our people, our technology and our proposition to ensure brokers and borrowers alike have access to a market-leading experience and a wider range of competitive funding options. With that in mind, I can confirm that further product launches and enhancements to our services are expected to follow later this year – so watch this space.”
Rob Tanna-Smith, Co-Head of Northern European ABS at J.P. Morgan, added: “This forward flow transaction will support Roma Finance as they broaden their product offering in the specialist property lending market, and also as they implement their strategic vision to deliver on the next phase of growth.”
This news comes at an important time for the specialist finance sector, following wider market disruption earlier this year, and is expected to be viewed as a strong vote of confidence in the resilience and future growth of the UK specialist finance market.
