Ulster to keep up momentum on property finance

ULSTER Bank has strengthened its property finance wing, with four key appointments and moves to swell its property finance division from five to nine regional centres.

Having recently funded developer Sean Dunne’s Jurys Ballsbridge site purchase, as well as the Beacon hospital investment, the bank is keen to maintain its momentum in this competitive banking sector.

The senior management appointments announced yesterday are: Barbara Connolly and Paul McDonnell as directors property finance; Sean Martyn to director, regional property finance; and John Hunt as head of structured property finance.

Employing 100 people, Ulster Bank Property Finance has a Dublin head office, regional centres in Galway, Cork, Limerick, Sligo and Wexford, and is to add new centres in Waterford, Athlone, Waterford, Kildare and the north-west.

The bank is to target markets in the domestic commercial (office and retail, in particular) and residential sectors, as well as overseas investment, primarily in European markets.

Ulster Bank is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which includes First Active.

The bank was a recent Business Banking Excellence KPMG award winner.

Ulster Bank Group consists of 272 branches, more than 1.6 million customers and around 6,000 staff.