Mick Howard brings 30 years of experience from a variety of banking, development and commercial finance roles, including spells at Bibby Financial Services and, most recently, BLG Development Finance.

In his new position, Mick will be responsible for building relationships with developers across the North of England.

“I am pleased to be joining Paragon Bank as we seek to grow our proposition in further key markets,” stated Mick.

“Our regional economies are booming at the moment, with major developments changing the face of our cities.

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“I look forward to supporting the developers seeking to capitalise on this growth.”

Mick’s appointment reflects growing confidence in the Northern Powerhouse, with increased focus on promoting regional development and major infrastructure projects such as HS2.

Fintan O’Riordan, development finance director at Paragon Bank, added: “The range of finance we offer, and the detailed knowledge and understanding we apply to our funding decisions has allowed us to develop a successful proposition in the South and Midlands since we launched development finance products less than two years ago.”