Anglo Irish Bank - which has already financed some of the biggest property deals in the West Midlands - is on the expansion trail after officially opening its new city centre office at 1 Colmore Square.
The new state-of-the-art premises were unveiled last night by chief executive David Drumm at a party attended by the bank's senior lenders, clients and professional contacts.
Anglo has backed Nurton Development's £43 million purchase and refurbishment of the nearby Priory & Cannon office block, plus the £90 million purchase of 1 Colmore Square itself.
Mr Drumm signalled that further growth is on the cards.
"Our move from Embassy House to 1 Colmore Square comes not only from the impressive growth we've achieved to date, but also to help accommodate the growth we plan for the years ahead," he said.
"We've experienced some tremendous growth in the West Midlands.
"Growth this year alone has exceeded 40 per cent and, since we set up in January 2001, the team here has grown to ten.
"We are now looking to recruit new property lenders and treasury people to further boost our presence in this dynamic region - a region to which the bank remains fully committed." David Smith, who has led the Birmingham team since inception, put much of the team's success down to the bank's clients.
"Our success has been underpinned by the support of our entrepreneurial client base which continues to expand as more and more companies experience our flexible, expert and relationship approach to lending," he said.
"I look forward to growing with our clients, old and new, as they continue to expand their portfolios in the region."
Brian Linehan, Anglo's UK banking director said the new office would also act as a springboard for growth into the buoyant East Midlands market.
Mr Linehan said: "As well as enhancing our West Midlands offering we have also launched a fresh team, anchored in Birmingham, to service the East Midlands market.
"At a time when others have been moving away from local delivery, we believe that our growing local presence and commitment to the region will be a key factor in our continued success here."
Anglo is one of the UK's top five property lenders. With a loan book of more than £8 billion and rising, it has more than £1.4 billion of UK property funding work in progress.
