HISTORY OF EXETER FINANCE
Exeter Finance was established in 2013 and grew from an idea to serve the local property market and to provide quick response to clients who required funds in circumstances where there was minimal risk in terms of loan to value but for a variety of different reasons the clearing banks were unable to assist in the timescales required. The lending market changed post recession and although High Street banks will always have their place in the market, they simply cannot act as quickly as we can, nor can they always make a decision on a loan at a local level. Our ambition is to keep growing and the loan book is now at over £60 million.
Exeter Finance Approach
The personal approach
We always wish to meet our clients, understand their lending requirements and visit the properties we are lending against as securityThe local approach
We make a decision about your loan at a local level in ExeterThe efficient approach
We can act very quickly and our dedicated team work effectively to manage your financing from initial contact through to loan completionThe experienced approach
The Exeter Finance team have deep and wide-ranging banking and financial experience and a unique knowledge of real estate, especially in the South West that could potentially add value to your investmentMEET THE TEAM
Peter Keech
Managing DirectorPeter established Exeter Finance in 2013 to provide local, property funding solutions alongside excellent customer service. He started his banking career with Lloyds Bank aged 16 and before Exeter Finance, spent 20 years running Arbuthnot Latham’s Exeter office. With his vast banking and property development experience, Peter enjoys working with our customers and tailoring loans to meet their needs, from bridging to development. Peter manages the team at Exeter Finance and together, looks forward to growing the business throughout the South West.
Chris Hall
Credit and Risk DirectorChris has over 30 years of experience in the property industry as a Chartered Surveyor and has worked with Peter for over two decades on many transactions. Chris progressed from running his own business advising financial institutions to owning his own property investment and development companies in the South West based in Plymouth. Chris is involved in all of Exeter Finance’s lending transactions, primarily from a credit and risk perspective.
Darren Galliford
Chief Operating OfficerNow in his 40th year in banking, Darren joined the Exeter Finance team in February 2025. Exeter born and bred, he has held several key banking roles within the region, most recently at Handelsbanken as District Head for the South of the UK. Darren is looking forward to helping Exeter Finance continue to grow and, personally, to get back to basics, working with a great team to support property clients on an empowered basis in local markets, where swift decision making is crucial.
Alex Bowman
Chief Financial OfficerAlex is a qualified Chartered Accountant. She worked for Ernst & Young’s Corporate Finance team in London from 2008 to 2017, before joining Exeter Finance and relocating to the West Country. Alex is responsible for the business’ financial and operational affairs and works closely with our customers, investors and credit providers.
Emily Rossiter
Financial ControllerEmily joined Exeter Finance in 2013, having previously worked with Peter at Arbuthnot Latham. She has several years of financial administration experience. Emily’s role at Exeter Finance focuses on internal reporting, management accounting, and customer advances and statements.
Emma Palmer
Finance ManagerEmma is a qualified Chartered Accountant and joined Exeter Finance in 2023 as Finance Manager after spending 5 years in the audit department of a South West Accountancy firm. Emma’s key responsibilities include preparation of monthly management accounts, portfolio and financial analysis and forecasting.
Adam Lewis
Head of Development FinanceA Chartered Surveyor by profession, Adam commands a wealth of experience in residential development funding, with over 30 years spent in the house building industry. Having owned and managed an award- winning house building business before joining Exeter Finance, Adam brings a developer’s perspective to the team and is responsible for overseeing many of Exeter Finance’s house building projects from single plot developments to 80 house schemes.
David Baglow
Regional Lending ManagerWith over 30 years of experience in banking and commercial finance, David is a proactive Lending Manager who joined Exeter Finance in 2016. He has a straight-forward and honest approach to lending and builds excellent relationships with our customers. David is responsible for new lending opportunities throughout the South West, in particular North Devon and Cornwall. He is passionate about the fantastic local environment and helping the regional economy prosper.
Tracy Smith
Portfolio ManagerTracy joined Exeter Finance in 2017 after working at NatWest for over 20 years specialising in loan securitisation. She works closely with our customers and solicitors to ensure all pre-lend requirements are met and loans are completed in a timely manner. Tracy is responsible for managing our loan book including co-ordinating customer drawdowns and loan redemptions.
Ian Gresham
Portfolio ManagerIan joined Exeter Finance in 2020 after a long career with NatWest supporting lending proposals. Ian facilitates all aspects of Exeter Finance’s lending from application to repayment. He also prepares monthly loan portfolio data to fulfil our audit reporting obligations.
Toni Street
Marketing ManagerToni is responsible for the marketing and PR affairs of Exeter Finance including website design and content, investor communications, marketing campaigns and the production of our Insight magazine.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At Exeter Finance we adopt a personal and flexible approach with our clients ensuring individual requirements are met on all occasions. Being based in Exeter means we have excellent local property market knowledge and our team can visit our clients throughout the South West at short notice when required. Our professional and highly experienced team develop good rapport with new and existing clients with client satisfaction being one of our priorities whilst delivering a reliable and dependable service.
We lend to individuals, partnerships, limited companies and pensions funds.
The first funds we advanced to our clients were our own and were also raised from five founding shareholder investors to ‘bank roll’ us. Since then we have agreed credit lines with UK banks that are supporting us to grow. We are also raising funds from private investors so we have a variety of funds to draw upon.
From the initial contact or meeting with our team a conditional formal offer will be made if we are able to assist you with your financing requirement. A valuation may also be required. An agreement in principle will then typically occur shortly thereafter and our solicitors will be instructed to avoid any delay. Once all of the necessary legal work has been completed and relevant documents signed, we will arrange for the funds to be transferred which can take between 48 hours and up to 2 months.
Please contact us via email or telephone in order to discuss your loan requirements.