Securing finance shouldn’t be a drawn-out process.
It shouldn’t involve jumping through endless hoops, waiting on slow approvals, or dealing with a rigid structure that doesn’t reflect how businesses actually operate.
Yet, for many SMEs, property professionals, and investors, that’s exactly what they face.
The lending market is shifting. High street banks have tightened their criteria, and mainstream business finance isn’t as accessible as it once was.
But just because traditional lenders are pulling back, it doesn’t mean businesses have stopped needing capital.
Quite the opposite—funding is still essential, but it now needs to be faster, more flexible, and more in tune with the way businesses function today.
For brokers, this creates an opportunity.
Clients are looking for financial solutions that move at their pace.
And while bridging loans have long been a staple, there’s another option that doesn’t get nearly enough attention—overdraft facilities.
Traditional lending doesn’t always fit
It’s not that business finance isn’t available; it’s that too much of it is structured in a way that doesn’t suit the borrower.
Fixed-term loans have their place, but they don’t work for every scenario. A seasonal business doesn’t need a lump sum loan that sits in their account while interest racks up.
A property investor bidding at auction doesn’t have time to navigate a protracted approval process.
And a developer running multiple projects doesn’t want to be locked into staged drawdowns that dictate how and when they access capital.
For brokers, the challenge is finding solutions that allow their clients to move quickly without unnecessary cost or complexity.
Many businesses don’t need another loan. They need a finance facility that adapts to their needs in real time.
The Alternative Overdraft
At Alternative Bridging Corporation, our Alternative Overdraft is exactly that—a true alternative to conventional lending.
It’s a facility that gives businesses and property professionals access to funding on demand, without the hassle of reapplying.
Once approved, borrowers can draw down, repay, and redraw again, all within a two-year period. Interest is only charged on the amount actually used, not on the total facility, which keeps costs down.
And because it’s secured against property assets, it offers a level of stability that unsecured business overdrafts simply can’t.
For brokers, this means offering clients a genuinely different option—one that sits between bridging loans, term finance, and high-interest business credit.
Instead of arranging multiple short-term loans every time a client needs capital, brokers can introduce them to a revolving facility that works whenever they need it.
Overdraft in action
Overdraft facilities are often overlooked, yet they can be the perfect fit for a range of borrowing needs.
The brokers who understand this will be the ones who stand out, win more business, and build stronger relationships with their clients.
One recent case highlights just how effective this facility can be. A client found themselves in a race against time—their bridging loan had expired, their property was still on the market, and they needed working capital to keep their business running.
The property itself was a substantial country estate, serving as both a family home and a wedding venue.
With event bookings fluctuating and sale negotiations still ongoing, the client needed an immediate solution that would give them financial breathing space without locking them into a restrictive loan.
The Alternative Overdraft allowed them to clear the existing bridging loan, access the capital they needed, and manage repayments flexibly while waiting for the property sale to go through.
Flexible finance
The demand for flexible, property-backed finance solutions is only increasing. Businesses don’t just need funding; they need the right funding—something that allows them to move at their own pace, without unnecessary constraints.
The future of business finance isn’t about whether clients need money—it’s about giving them the right structure to access it efficiently.
And brokers who can provide that will win more deals, keep their clients happy, and ensure they’re always ahead of the curve.
Jonathan Rubins is director and chief commercial officer at Alternative Bridging Corporation
