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Social Finance Delivers High Returns
The core of our business model is what we call ‘social finance’ say the founders of Bricks Finance, Jerry Rihll, Clive Banks and Will Michelmore. “We like to be engaged wholeheartedly with the local community, both as investors and borrowers,” says Jerry. “We call it...
Low Risk. High Returns. Happy Investors.
For investors the Bricks Finance model is proving to be a compelling choice. Indeed, with near zero interest rates from the high street banks and NS&I, the Bricks fixed interest rate of between 5% and 7% stands as a beacon of solid, sensible investment. Will...
Economic Trends
Bridge to break free Successful deal-making is harder. With so many people working from home and cutbacks in the workforce, deals are taking longer, and the economic uncertainty means a finance offer today may be withdrawn tomorrow. Bridging loans are becoming...
Market Update
Our lives have been changed by Covid19 forever and identifying what that means in terms of our business, and the potential consequences to our stakeholders, is our key priority. Like the Financial Crisis of 2008, funding has been curtailed with many banks...
Tracey, On The ‘Social-Distancing’ Frontline
During the first few weeks of the lockdown, my focus was on contacting our borrowers to ascertain how their projects have been (or were expected to be) affected by the Covid19 restrictions. Ensuring our security is adequate, that the correct insurance and...
Five Years of Record Performance
We reported record loan commitments of £18M in the last financial year and we paid out over £1M in interest to our investors. Being profitable from day one has always been our main goal, rather than growing market share, as this ensures our longevity and...
Bridging and Development Loans
Around half of our loan book consists of bridging loans. These are temporary loans lasting three to six months, secured on a property or other valuable asset. They are called bridging loans as they bridge a timing gap between a client needing the money and...
Market Update
When Jerry, Will and I started Bricks five years ago, we were responding to a banking industry that paid woeful interest rates on savings and had retreated from short-term lending. We didn’t know how long the situation would last, nor whether peer-to-peer...
Abbott’s Way – Tracey’s First Three Months
I joined Bricks with a genuine sense of excitement at the opportunity to be part of a successful business that would allow me to do what I love – provide sensible funding that makes a difference and gives a great client experience. I have not been...
Bricks 5th Birthday Celebration
In November 2014, Clive, Jerry and Will met in Will’s offices in Exeter and agreed to set up a finance company. The name “Bricks” came from the view from Will’s office window - a bare brick wall! But it seemed appropriate, a solid name for a property-based...
NatWest Director Joins Bricks
The growth of Bricks requires extra work on both selecting and managing loans through their life, to ensure we maintain our standards. We are excited to announce that the former South West Relationship Director of NatWest and familiar face in the local...
Market Update
Failed peer-to-peer platform Lendy is an example of why investors in the P2P sector need to be wary of chasing higher yields without fully understanding the risk involved. You may have read that investors were attracted to the offer of a fixed 12% return....
More Accountants Are Referring Clients to Non-Bank Lenders
Accountants are the number one external trusted advisor to business leaders, and so it is significant that 66% of accountants are now referring their clients to external lenders as alternative finance options become more mainstream. According to a new survey...
In The Press
Bricks recently featured in DevonLife Magazine, a publication that shares our enthusiasm for the South West. Take a look here.
Trading Update
Nobody can predict the final outcome of our Brexit negotiations with Brussels. However, we want to reassure you about the resilience of Bricks. Being authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ensures our good governance and responsible practices. We...
Loan Location, Location, Location
This map shows the locations of our loans since we began in 2014 including Aylesbeare, Bridgwater, Chepstow, Churchinford, Exeter, Exmouth, Frome, Helston, Illminster, Kingsteignton, Launceston, Longburton, Looe, Long Sutton, Maenporth, Newton Abbot, North Tawton,...
Trading Update
Welcome to the New Year. A very uncertain year, and whilst we continue to grow, we are doing so more cautiously. We have three sets of eyes on every lending request and turn down many that we feel just might be problematic. Many borrowers are needing money for longer...
Fraud Risk
Part 1 – email security We take security very seriously and wanted to highlight some of the risks of using email. People often think email is secure, but it isn’t. It’s like sending a postcard by Royal Mail, anyone can read it. So when you send personal information by...
Trading Update
Whilst the media hype still seems to be about the fintech companies, particularly Funding Circle and its floatation, we continue to do “sensible lending”. Our approach is still a personal one. We meet all of our borrowers and inspect assets offered as security in...
Pensions – SSAS vs. SIPP
A Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS) is a pension trust set up by a limited company or a partnership. These schemes are created primarily by private and family-run limited companies for the benefit of the owner, directors and senior employees. An SSAS provides much...