Brokerage firm Maf Finance Group ratifies Scottish presence with new Edinburgh office and duo of senior hires

Financial intermediary Maf Finance Group – now part of London-listed restructuring specialist Begbies Traynor – has established a base in Edinburgh and made local hires to bolster its presence in Scotland.

From left: Dave Chapman and Nick Elder, and in front Deborah Louden and Sue Chapman of Maf Finance Group. Picture: contributed.

The firm, which was created in 2009 and operates across the UK, has secured offices in Fountainbridge in the Scottish capital, set to offer a full range of services with a particular focus on healthcare, renewables, education, and asset finance.

Maf has appointed Nick Elder, who joins as regional director for Scotland, and whose CV includes almost 20 years in finance, including serving as head of regional healthcare for Santander, and working for Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). He is supported by Deborah Louden who takes up the role of relationship director, and who also has specialist knowledge of lending in the healthcare sector, having both spent more than seven years as a relationship manager in this field with Santander, and held positions with Clydesdale Bank and RBS.

The pair worked together for many years before setting up their own Edinburgh-based business Ora Care Solutions four years ago, providing services including the development of high-quality assets across the UK, primarily in the care sector.

The organisation they are now joining says it spans the complete financial market, with its 50-strong team of specialist bankers and asset financiers working to support smaller firms and larger corporates to source funding across a range of products.

Elder said: “Having worked in banking and finance in Scotland for the last 17 years, I’m keen to raise awareness of the benefits of broker-led deals and, by joining a large, well-established financial intermediary like Maf, we will be in a stronger position to look market-wide for the best lending options as well as having greater resources to support clients by structuring and managing deals.”

Maf MD Dave Chapman said: “With an impressive track record as asset financiers and extensive experience in the healthcare, education and renewables sectors, Nick and Deborah are a great fit for us. Working closely with our sector specialists across the Maf group, we aim to provide the same great service and wide range of asset finance support in Scotland. This investment is a further demonstration of our commitment to growing our business here.”