Base Commercial Mortgages Limited, the specialist commercial mortgage lender which was forced to stop lending last year as a direct result of the credit crisis, is planning to restart lending via a limited panel of commercial finance brokers.

So far, Mortgages for Business has joined the panel, with more intermediaries to sign up imminently. Product details have not yet been announced yet, but David Whitaker, chief executive of Mortgages for Business suggested that the company is looking to launch slowly over the summer, and then really start promoting its services to the wider market as the industry heats up in the autumn.

The decision follows the recent acquisition of Ruffler Bank by Base’s backers, AnaCap Financial Partners, which gives Base access to retail funding. Base and Ruffler Bank are in the process of merging their operations to create a strongly capitalised business which is ideally positioned to provide a competitive range of property and asset finance facilities to small and medium sized businesses throughout the country.

“Base’s return to the market is a good sign for the commercial finance industry,” said Whitaker. “Because they’re not the biggest player, the amount they lend is unlikely to kickstart everything else, but I think it will increase confidence throughout the market.

Mark Stephens, chief executive at Base, said: “We’re delighted to be back in the commercial mortgage market once again, but are very mindful that we need to maintain a tight control over both business quality and volumes.”

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