Banking & Finance

We have market leading financial lawyers who have industry-specific experience and a clear understanding of today’s business environment which will give you a critical competitive advantage when you are structuring and negotiating financial transactions. We have forged a strong reputation amongst banks, building societies, other major financial institutions and sophisticated borrowers due to our extensive experience and responsiveness across a diverse range of finance-related matters.

Key banking & finance services

We can assist in the following banking and finance areas:

• Asset finance
• Leveraged finance
• Real estate finance
• Project finance
• General corporate lending and borrowing

Banking & finance work examples

Below are some work examples of where we have acted for lenders and borrowers in the banking and finance world.

Advising lenders

• Santander UK plc in connection with the provision of term loan, invoice finance and supply chain finance facilities to The DB Food Group Limited and its subsidiaries;
• HSBC Bank plc on its financing of the leveraged management buyout of a specialist engineering business in the petro-chemical sector using LMA-based documentation;
• Interbay Funding Ltd on its largest acquisition financings, such as a £19m facility to a borrower in order to finance its acquisition of 130+ residential properties in London (which had to be completed within a month) and £22m of fixed and variable rate term loan facilities to finance the incorporation of a general partnership holding a portfolio of over 100 investment properties around Southampton; 
• Lloyds Bank plc on a £5m management buyout and demerger of a multinational media and PR agency, involving invoice discounting and working capital facilities from the bank; 
• Santander UK plc on all manner of property, acquisition and working capital facilities (with a focus on education, healthcare and hotels), such as the term loan and multi-currency overdraft facilities to finance the management buy-out (by way of a s.110 IA 1986 demerger and reconstruction) of Group Tiger plc (with subsidiaries in the UK, US, Dubai and Germany); the £10m revolving credit facility to AIM-listed Vislink plc to support the £15m acquisition of two US-based companies. 

Advising borrowers

• Corrotherm International Limited on the refinancing of its existing NatWest and RBS debt facilities by Clydesdale Bank plc, with a term loan, multi-currency overdraft facility, a forward forex facility, a performance bond / guarantee facility, an import / letter of credit facility and a confidential invoice discounting facility;
• Richmond Cars Limited on £22m of term loans from Metro Bank plc in order to facilitate the expansion of its Hyundai car dealership business and to subsequently finance its acquisition of The Sparshatts group;
• Haskins Garden Centers Limited on a £22.5m refinance funded by HSBC Bank plc, involving a package of development term loan, overdraft and bond facilities;
• Comland plc and its subsidiary, Alfred Homes Limited on senior and mezzanine facilities provided by NatWest and other banks in respect of the construction of developments in the South of England;
• Livingstone Leisure Limited on the HSBC-funded leveraged acquisition of Lightwater Valley Attractions Limited from a Jersey-based company;
• Purple Parking group on a (Sharia-compliant) acquisition facility provided by Bank of London and The Middle East plc to finance a management buy-out and reorganisation and subsequently on a £12m debt facility from NatWest to finance the acquisition of a competitor;
• My Local Group on the contested disposal of more than 40 convenience stores across the UK (as going concerns) to multiple buyers in the retail sector; and
• RB Sport & Leisure Holdings plc and its subsidiaries on the £27m refinancing led by Omni Capital Partners Limited to finish the construction of a 175-bedroom Hilton hotel.

Key banking & finance clients 

Below is a list of some of the key banking and finance clients we have worked with over recent years:

• Santander UK plc
• National Westminster Bank PLC / The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
• Interbay Funding Ltd and OneSavings Bank plc
• Hampshire Trust Bank PLC
• Yacht Havens Limited
• Haskins Garden Centres Limited
• S.H.B Hire Limited
• Millbrook Healthcare Limited
• Proseed Capital Limited
• Dolphin Homes Limited
• PCF Bank Limited
• Proplend Ltd
• Saffron Building Society
• RB Sport & Leisure
• Marwell Zoo
• Corrotherm International Limited

How we work with you

Whilst based in the South of England, Paris Smith acts for businesses and families throughout the UK. Technology has enabled us to provide a high level of service to our clients whether they are local to our offices or not. Our advice can be given in many ways:

• Over the telephone
• Via video conferencing
• In face to face meetings

We will talk through how you would like to be contacted and the best ways for us to meet in our early conversations with you.

Banking and Finance team

Our Banking and Finance team is made up of 2 partners, 2 solicitors and a trainee solicitor.  You can find contact details for them below.