Bridging finance is bought for speed and certainty, yet most delayed deals are not held up by price. They are held up by silence: an enquiry that sits “under review”, documents that wait days to be opened, a borrower who has to chase for a status update. Ponte Finance has built its bridging enquiry service around that problem, with a set of service commitments it publishes alongside its lending criteria.
In short: Ponte Finance PLC commits to four things it controls on every business-purpose bridging enquiry: an initial answer the same working day, one named team from enquiry to completion, live status at every stage, and terms and fees stated up front. It does not promise a completion date, because valuation, legal work and the borrower’s own steps sit outside its control. It does commit to saying who is holding a file and chasing it daily.
Why do bridging deals stall?
A bridging loan usually has a deadline attached: an auction completion window, a chain that is about to break, or a purchase that has to close before an opportunity disappears. In that setting, the cost of waiting is often higher than the difference between two interest rates.
Delays tend to come from the same places. An enquiry receives no clear answer. Documents are requested but not reviewed when they arrive. Terms change late in the process. Nobody can say whether the file is with the lender, the valuer or the solicitor. Each of these is a communication problem as much as a credit problem, and each can be addressed by how a lender organises its own work.
For a step-by-step view of a typical transaction, see our guide to the bridging loan timeline in the UK.
What does Ponte commit to on every enquiry?
Ponte groups its service commitments into four areas. They apply to the parts of the process the Ponte team controls.
1. An answer the same working day
Every enquiry receives an initial answer on the working day it is reviewed: yes, no, or exactly what is missing. An enquiry is not left “under review”. Once a deal proceeds, messages are answered and documents are read and checked on the day they arrive. Lia, Ponte’s AI assistant, reads and checks documents; lending decisions are made by the Ponte team. You can read more about that division in Meet LIA: how AI supports lending decisions at Ponte Finance.
2. One team, from enquiry to completion
Borrowers and brokers have a named Ponte contact with a direct line, and the people they speak to are the people who decide. Ponte states that applicants deal directly with the directors of Ponte Finance PLC from the first enquiry to completion.
3. Live status at every stage
Every change of stage is emailed, and a full timeline is available in the applicant’s secure area. The aim is that a borrower never has to ask where the deal is.
4. No surprises on terms or fees
Terms issued are the terms at completion, unless the facts of the deal change. Every fee is stated before it is paid.
What is not promised, and why that matters
Ponte does not promise a completion date. Completion depends on the valuation, the legal work and the borrower, and no lender controls all three. What Ponte commits to instead is visibility: when a valuer, a solicitor or an exit lender is holding the file, the borrower is told who, the file is chased daily, and the position is recorded on the live status.
This distinction is useful for anyone comparing lenders. A lender can reasonably commit to how quickly it reads, decides and replies. A guaranteed completion date that depends on third parties is a different kind of promise, and borrowers should understand which parts of a timeline sit with whom before relying on it.
How does the enquiry work?
The first step is a short online deal review that takes around 60 seconds. It asks for the loan required, the property value, the postcode and whether a first charge is available, with loan to value calculated automatically. No documents, identity checks or full application are needed at this stage.
The Ponte team then reviews the deal and confirms funding appetite the same working day. If the deal can proceed, the applicant is invited to the full application, where a secure login is created, information is carried across from the enquiry, documents are uploaded and identity and compliance checks are completed. The full process and criteria are covered in First-charge bridging finance from £250k: how Ponte’s new deal review works.
Lending criteria at a glance
- Loans from £250,000 to £2 million, from £230,000 outside London.
- Up to 75% loan to value, assessed against the security property. Higher LTVs are reviewed case by case.
- First legal charge over the property financed. Second charges are not considered.
- Business-purpose lending only. Not available for consumer or owner-occupied residential purposes.
- Rate, term and structure are set individually, based on the deal, the exit and the transaction.
What does this mean for brokers?
Ponte invites brokers to send first-charge, business-purpose bridges that have stalled elsewhere: deals where another lender has gone quiet, changed terms or not answered. Brokers receive an answer from the Ponte team the same working day, a named contact throughout, and the same live status their client sees, with a copy of every status change. Procuration fees are agreed up front and paid on completion, and Ponte does not approach the broker’s client directly.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ponte guarantee that a bridging loan will complete by a set date?
No. Completion depends on the valuation, the legal work and the borrower. Ponte commits to answering, reviewing documents and updating status the same working day, and to telling the borrower who is holding the file when it sits with a third party.
How quickly is an initial answer given?
The Ponte team gives an initial answer the same working day: yes, no, or exactly what it needs to decide.
Do I need documents to make an enquiry?
No. The initial deal review takes around 60 seconds and needs no documents, no identity checks and no full application.
Who makes the lending decision?
Lending decisions are made by the Ponte team. Lia, Ponte’s AI assistant, reads and checks documents to support that review.
Can brokers submit deals that are stuck with another lender?
Yes, provided the deal is a first-charge, business-purpose bridge within Ponte’s criteria. Brokers are copied on every status change and Ponte does not contact their client directly.
Submitting a deal
Borrowers and brokers can start an initial deal review at Ponte Finance bridging enquiries, or contact the lending team at lending@ponte.finance or 020 3885 3877.
Important information
Ponte Finance PLC is a private lender, not a bank, and is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lending is for business purposes only and is not available to consumers or for property occupied, or to be occupied, by the borrower or a family member as a home. All loans are secured against property, and the property may be repossessed if repayments are not maintained. This article is for general information only. It does not constitute an offer of finance or financial advice. All terms are subject to underwriting and are assessed on the individual transaction. Ponte Finance PLC is registered in England and Wales, company number 15859004, registered office 225 Clapham Road, London SW9 9BE.