The UK banking sector has historically been dominated by the ‘Big Four’ of; HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS Group. Newer entrants have concentrated on areas that are underserved by the more established players, such as; Development Finance, Commercial Mortgages for SME’s and Residential Mortgages that cannot be easily automated (such as those for older applicants or the self-emploted). Challenger Banks include; One Savings Bank, Metro, Oak North, Aldermore, Shawbrook and Starling. Although their loans are more expensive, you are less likely to get a ‘computer says no’ as loans have more manual underwriting input than the Big Four (in our opinion).
