Tag Archives: Commercial Banking

FInance, Finance and Banking, News

Unity Trust Bank Partners with Elavon to Enhance its Payment Proposition

Unity Trust Bank has extended its customer proposition by launching a new partnership with global payments provider, Elavon.

Customers of Unity Trust Bank will now have access to a full range of payment solutions, including face-to-face, online and cross-border capabilities.

Elavon was chosen to provide payment services for Unity’s customers based on its devotion to customer service, diverse product suite, and commitment to providing innovative technology solutions.

The partnership follows publication of the bank’s half year financial results for 2021, which reported a growth of 25 per cent per annum and pre-tax profits of £5.2million – up by 65% compared to the first six months of 2020.

As it continues to increase support for socially motivated organisations across the UK, Unity’s new payment service is the first step of Unity’s roadmap designed to enhance the customer experience.

Deborah Hazell, CEO of Unity Trust Bank, commented: “We are continually developing our services in response to the growing needs of our customers. This new partnership with Elavon will enable Unity to introduce its customers to a wide variety of integrated payment services, including seamless contactless payments, e-commerce and a variety of money movement solutions.

“Elavon’s depth of experience and broad capabilities, industry knowledge, customer focus and, importantly, its shared core values and focus on ethics made it a natural choice for our payments provider.”

Hannah Fitzsimons, president and general manager of Elavon Merchant Services, Europe, continued: “We are delighted to be Unity Trust Bank’s payment services partner and look forward to supporting them and our joint customers in their growth strategies.”

“This new partnership is a great example of how Elavon is well placed to deliver an array of payment solutions to banks and financial institutions in the UK and across Europe. We continue to enhance the range of propositions and models offered, including e-commerce, open banking and API integration capabilities.”

Elavon will be the sole provider of payments acceptance and acquiring services for Unity’s UK customers. A long-standing payments partner to more than 550 banks and financial institutions worldwide, Elavon is rated among the top-five global payment providers in the world. It is a subsidiary of U. S. Bancorp, named as one of the world’s most ethical companies by the Ethisphere Institute for seven consecutive years and as a recognised leader in diversity, equity and inclusion.

To find out more about Unity Trust Bank, visit www.unity.co.uk.

Children and Childcare, Finance and Banking, News

Lancashire mum acquires her second pre-school nursery following six-figure funding from Unity Trust Bank

Victoria Adams established Teddy Towers in Leyland in 2016 and following a £345,000 refinance loan from Unity, has acquired Toddlers in Whitefield.

Her ethos is to inspire, develop and really engage with children, and both nurseries have private gardens where youngsters can explore and enjoy nature.

Andy Ball, Relationship Manager at Unity Trust Bank, said: “Unity is proud to support businesses that provide access to quality early childhood care and development so that children are ready for primary education.

“We’re delighted to be able to assist Victoria as she expands her business and offers outdoor learning experiences to more children.”

Both nurseries cater for 0-5 year-olds, with Teddy Towers offering 30 places and Toddlers 43.

Victoria, who employs 14 staff, said: “I was introduced to Unity through my broker Abacus Day Nursery Sales.

“Unity offered a good rate of interest and I like the fact that I have a relationship manager who I can phone if I need to.

“Unity’s values attracted me too because they fit in with what I’m trying to achieve at the nursery.”

During her career as a commercial banking manager, Victoria worked with pre-school nurseries and was inspired to set up her own business when she was made redundant.

She was in the process of selling her large family home when she realised it would be ideal for her first nursery and called it Teddy Towers after one of her sons built a tower with his teddy bears.

With a large private garden with logs, picnic benches and secret paths, the children have plenty of space to play and explore.

Victoria said: “My sons are 13, 10 and 10 months and they are in their element when we’re doing outdoor activities like going for walks, feeding the ducks or exploring and this inspired the theme for my nursery. I want children to learn and have fun within a safe, homely environment and natural setting.

“Toddlers has been established for 15 years and is next to a school and it has a large private outdoor space which I will be developing like at Teddy Towers.”

News

Unity Trust Bank rated as an ethical and inclusive employer by 95% of workforce in UK banking survey

Specialist commercial lender, Unity Trust Bank, is celebrating another year of positive recognition from its employees in the 2020 Banking Standards Board (BSB) report.

In its fifth annual survey, more than 73,000 employees across 31 UK banks and building societies responded to the BSB’s official assessment, which provides a snapshot of workplace culture within the banking industry.

Unity Trust Bank, which was established with the purpose to help create a better society, improved its ranking on the BSB’s Assessment Framework for Reliability and Shared Purpose. When asked to describe Unity, 95% of employees across the organisation felt that its purpose and values were meaningful to them, with “ethical” “collaborative” and “inclusive” recorded as the most commonly used terms.

Furthermore, 98% of employees said they were proud of how Unity Trust Bank had helped its customers and clients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with 85% feeling that their health and wellbeing had been supported during the crisis.

The impact of the pandemic also created resilience within the workforce, who continued to deliver a high level of customer service despite having to quickly adapt to new ways of working. 93% of employees reported that they had seen their colleagues go the extra mile to meet the needs of customers – an increase from 89% in 2019.

Margaret Willis, CEO of Unity Trust Bank, said: “We joined the BSB in 2016, to demonstrate Unity’s commitment to help raise standards within the industry. Positive culture derives from the top and we carefully analyse BSB’s results each year to identify ways in which we can improve as an organisation.

“We are extremely proud our colleagues’ resilience and how they have supported each other throughout the last 12 months – it is a real testament to our culture and what we stand for as a business.

“As a purpose-led organisation, we work to instil a sense of genuine inclusivity for employees, from our tailored learning and development opportunities, support for professional qualifications, volunteering and fundraising programmes, to employee share schemes which align the interests of our people with those of the bank.

“Our customers trust us to deliver a service that supports their commitment to deliver positive and lasting change, and I’m proud that our employees share a common purpose to drive this forward.”

Awards, FInance, News

Unity Trust Bank named Socially Responsible Lender of the Year

The National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) has awarded the prestigious accolade of ‘Socially Responsible Lender of the Year’ to Unity Trust Bank.

The awards ceremony, which took place virtually on Thursday 26th November 2020, was held by the UK’s largest independent trade body for commercial finance brokers to celebrate excellence across the industry.

A total of 57 lender patrons were shortlisted across 14 categories, showcasing the breadth of talent within the sector, from asset financers to CBIL providers, commercial mortgage lenders and more. The ‘Socially Responsible Lender of the Year’ category was introduced for the first time this year, seeking to award Patrons whose core purpose is ethical banking.

As a commercial lender for businesses and organisations that deliver social value, the award win recognises Unity Trust Bank’s work with Responsible Finance intermediaries, social enterprises, charities and other community-focused organisations in the UK.

In 2019, Unity distributed £13.6m to 278 customers, with an additional £12.5m of affordable finance provided to 207 organisations in the first half of 2020. This included a £7.5m loan to the not-for-profit Business Enterprise Fund, and £1.5m for Let’s Do Business Finance, to support provisions of CBILs for hundreds of small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the recognition, Regional Director Linda Martin said: “We are extremely proud of this award win, which recognises our commitment to driving positive change within the community.

“Last year, Unity’s lending enabled the provision of 1,188 bed spaces, provided housing for 437 people and developed 28 community facilities, as well as protecting or creating 672 jobs. As our loan book continues to grow, so too does our support for organisations across the UK who are making a difference in society.

“We have really valued being a Patron of the NACFB since joining in July 2019, and it has been a pleasure working with the Association to highlight the support that we can offer the SME sector.”