Blue Shield Capital, a property lending firm specialising in bridging loans, has received a £25 million loan from OakNorth Bank. Launched in 2020 by Gil Ulrich and Jonathan Hitter, Blue Shield focuses on underwriting senior bridging loans backed by UK real estate, particularly in prime cities and suburban areas.

The company recently welcomed Stephen Benson as a partner in 2023. Benson brings nearly three decades of real estate experience, having established a pan-European asset management business and managed a portfolio exceeding €5 billion in loans.

Blue Shield’s management team follows rigorous credit, underwriting, and portfolio monitoring policies, attracting investment from the Wynn Group, which became a major shareholder last year.

Gil Ulrich, co-founder and CEO of Blue Shield Capital, stated, “At Blue Shield, we have established new benchmarks in customer satisfaction within a short period, driven by our quick turnaround, creative mindset, borrower-centric, and transaction-oriented approach. These are all traits shared by the team at OakNorth who provided us with a bespoke debt finance solution, quickly. With their financial backing, we’ll be able to fund new real estate bridging loans at speed, while providing the necessary flexibility to meet our customers’ financial demands.”

Mohith Sondhi, Senior Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, added, “Gil, Jonathan, and Stephen have a wealth of experience in the UK real estate sector. In just a few years, they’ve grown Blue Shield Capital into a trusted brand with an expanding portfolio and a loyal customer base, enabling the business to attract investment from one of the most respected players in the industry – the Wynn Group. Given the breadth of areas Blue Shield covers – from residential, commercial, retail, and industrial, to light refurbishment, bridge-to-let, and land – its growth potential is substantial. With backing from OakNorth, it has the financial firepower to go after even more bridging loan opportunities and support even more customers.” OakNorth, launched in September 2015, is a digital bank designed for entrepreneurs, providing support to scale-up businesses to foster growth, prosperity, and innovation.