Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has promoted Henry Manley-Cooper to deputy managing director of bridging finance. The firm said his appointment reinforces the senior leadership of the bank’s bridging division as short-term finance becomes embedded within the wider capital strategies of professional investors and developers. He joined HTB as a senior underwriter within the second line credit function and has since contributed to strengthening credit discipline and commercial alignment across the bridging division. Manley-Cooper has also held senior credit roles at firms including Acre Lane Capital and Avamore Capital.

Nivo has opened access to its purpose-built agentic AI assistant for specialist lending, Nivo AI, to the wider broker and lender market following a successful early adopter phase. The technology is designed to improve submission quality and reduce friction across broker-lender workflows, operating 24/7 over email, guiding brokers through applications, identifying missing information, structuring cases correctly and delivering lender-ready submissions to be right first time. Nivo AI was developed to tackle the challenge of incomplete or poorly packaged submissions that create delays, repeated clarification requests and unnecessary strain on underwriting teams. To support adoption across firms of all sizes, Nivo is launching a two-week free trial, giving lenders and brokers the opportunity to experience guided packaging, automated document structuring and criteria-aware prompts in live scenarios and with no obligation.

Buckinghamshire Building Society has increased the maximum LTV on its expat buy-to-let products from 75% to 80%, while also launching two new fixed rate options for both personal and limited company applicants. The new product options offer a fixed rate until 31 May 2028 and are available for personal and limited company applicants at 5.79% and 5.89% respectively. Furthermore, the building society will now consider flats and apartments in blocks of up to 10 storeys, increased from the previous limit of six storeys. For ex-local authority properties, the maximum remans at four storeys, reflects its considered and responsible approach to risk.

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