Key Details
- ₤25,000,000 complex debt facility, consisting of a ₤20,000,000 residential regulated mortgage for a new purchase, alongside a ₤5,000,000 buy to let (BTL) mortgage refinance.
- Client Profile – UK and UAE residents.
- Prime residential property purchase in Central London and BTL refinance on an existing property in central London.
- 70% loan to value (LTV) on an interest-only basis.
- GSB Private Finance presented terms to clients based on loan facility being accompanied by Assets Under Management (AUM) or No Assets Under Management. The clients chose to give the lender AUM as the terms provided on this basis were preferential.
- Borrowing is to be held in the client’s joint personal names, but AUM is to be held in the name of an offshore family Trust.
Client Profile
The clients were both higher-risk. The primary borrower was employed in the UAE.
The clients were purchasing a prime property in Central London and required a high loan-to-value, interest-only loan to complete. Due to imminent completion, GSB Private Finance was mandated to source a lender who could complete the deal within a tight timeframe.
During the later stages of the credit application, an opportunity arose to purchase a commercial property in the same development, and given the client’s assets and lack of alternative financing ability, we advised refinancing their current unencumbered central London property.
Challenges
Numerous factors made this deal challenging:
- Account opening – We faced several lenders unwilling to consider the case. However, the bank we eventually worked with took a pragmatic approach, given the clear and transparent source of wealth and source of funds, and was able to offer competitive lending terms as a result. That being said, the process to onboard was lengthy (especially given we have to open both personal and trust accounts), and we were up against tight deadlines to complete it on time.
- Tight deadline – We were mandated to the case for the client three months before the expected completion date, which meant a very tight deadline given the complexities of the case, particularly around KYC, onboarding and affordability.
- Affordability – Clients were UHNW and had significant income and assets across multiple jurisdictions. However, because of this and because much of the client’s income could be described as ‘non-standard’ in nature, there were constant challenges to making the affordability work within the UK mortgage regulations.
- Variations to initial application – Further complexity was added when the clients decided to purchase a commercial property within the same development. We were subsequently mandated to find a solution for this purchase, too, and worked closely with the lender to structure a deal that included the refinance of an unencumbered investment property the client owned in central London.
Solution
After speaking with a number of potential lenders, we decided to proceed with a Private Bank based in both Geneva and London, which we knew had a strong track record of lending on both a regulated and unregulated basis. GSB had an existing relationship and prior experience with this Bank, and we knew they were experts in lending on more complicated transactions within a tight timeframe.
We were able to obtain the best terms in the market for the client – a discounted variable margin with an Interest-only loan to a value of 70%. We managed to negotiate down the interest rate with the offering of the AUM to go alongside the loan. We also secured the clients a discount to the standard AUM requirement that the clients would normally have had to pledge in order to receive the discounted margin (20% of the loan as AUM, as opposed to the normally requested 50%).
Once the bank had provided terms and agreed to the lend, we worked tirelessly with the client’s wider team (Trust company, Asset Manager, Lawyer) to ensure the bank had everything it needed to present the case not only from a credit perspective but also from a KYC and Source of Wealth perspective as the case needed to be presented to the lender’s Board of Directors. Once accounts were opened and credit granted, we remained heavily involved and project-managed the transaction until completion.
Overall
Overall, we arranged and advised on this large mortgage and refinance, saving the client a considerable amount of money in interest costs and providing an efficient and flexible facility. The perfect solution that was in line with the client’s complex needs and requirements.
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Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed should not be construed as investment or financial advice. The information contained is for educational purposes only.