The post – which James will commence on 1st December – will encompass the specialist bank's bridging and development finance lending teams.

Since joining Masthaven from Regentsmead, James has held the position of managing director of the development finance team at Masthaven.

James said he was delighted to be leading the bank's short-term lending business, a division which has recently seen the introduction of a new suite of offerings.

“The new team structure is a reflection of the growth Masthaven is seeing in this sector.

“These are incredibly exciting times in Masthaven's evolution and business development and I'm delighted to be an instrumental part of this process.

“I look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate and meet customer needs; exciting times for 2018.'

James and Richard Deacon, sales director for short-term lending, will report to Jon Hall, managing director of Masthaven.

“With 30 years of experience in property, James' unique set of skills and deep knowledge of short-term lending are a vital part of the bank's growth in this sector,' said Jon.

“His new role reflects the significant contribution he made as MD of our development finance division since mid-2016.

“With James leading the lending business and Richard Deacon leading sales, I'm fortunate to be working with two of the most experienced and well-regarded individuals in the short-term lending market.'