Contact us today
If you have any questions, please give a member of the team a call
Call us on
0161 888 2811
Lines are open
9:00am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday
(excluding UK bank holidays)
We provide backing for independent contract hire and rental companies, as well as finance for dealerships.
Our experienced team can structure finance in a variety of circumstances – we base our lending on a business’ overall health and plans, helping our customers to make the right financial decisions. We also pride ourselves on the speed of our agreements. Responding quickly and aiming to give you a decision within days, sometimes hours.
Finance products we offer in the UK fleet industry
Close Brothers Asset Finance provide contract hire solutions to over 95% of the Fleet News Top 50 Contract Hire list. We provide undisclosed agency products (UDA), taking the risk away from the end user throughout the life of the agreement. We also provide standard Hire Purchase facilities with a minimum value of £2 million, allowing you to spread the cost of your assets over time.
We also work with existing fleet management businesses and brokers who have a desire to grow their balance sheet through putting vehicles on their own book.
Benefits of Business Contract Hire
- Risk is taken away from the end user on our UDA product
- Allows for potential profits through disposal and during the life of the agreement
- We have a commercial and agile approach to underwriting and 25 years of experience in the industry
We provide a disclosed agency product, allowing unregulated businesses to provide personal contract hire, whilst being fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Close Brothers Asset Finance will provide all the paperwork and manage the default risk throughout the life of an agreement. Our flexible approach to finance and 1+ profile option appeals to a variety of consumers and can be used for both new and used assets.
Benefits of Personal Contract Hire
- Allows unregulated businesses to provide a fully regulated product
- Terms are flexible from 12-60 months with a 1+ profile
- This product is suitable for financing both new and used assets
We are proud to work with several of the largest vehicle rental providers in the UK, providing finance facilities with a minimum requirement per facility of £2 million. We adopt a commercial approach to rental vehicles and respond quickly to information and lending requests. You can rely on our team to be a consistent and proactive point of contact, supporting you throughout the life of your finance and beyond.
Benefits of Rental
- Spread the cost over the life of the asset with a balloon payment
- Our finance terms are flexible, helping you to manage cash flow within your business
- Reclaim VAT
Close Brothers Wholesale Fleet team
James Comrie
Director of Wholesale Finance
James has spent the majority of his 23 year career in wholesale fleet, funding over £6bn of vehicles in this time. In July 2011 James joined Close Brothers Leasing to set up a Wholesale Fleet division and has since funded over £1bn. James’s ethos centres around providing the best customer experience possible and this example is relayed across the whole team.
Matthew Williams
Head of Sales - Wholesale Fleet
Matt has been working in the UK fleet industry for seven years in a career that has spanned both sales and operations. He is currently Head of Sales for Wholesale Finance and has an excellent network of relationships across the UK automotive industry. Matt has a passion for helping clients to grow into new markets within the industry and maximise their existing client base.
Richard Gregson
Head of Commercial - Wholesale Finance
With 20 years’ experience, Richard has a good understanding of the asset finance and banking industry, having worked in both providing client centric solutions and delivering hard to get to operational solutions. Richard’s focus is ensuring the best possible outcome is delivered to the customer, from both a compliant and commercial angle.
Paul Bouchier-Howard
Business Development Manager
With eight years’ experience in asset finance and leasing, Paul has a built up a wealth of knowledge during this time and has built many long lasting, successful relationships with customers within the contract hire industry. Paul’s high standards ensure customers of Close Brothers Leasing consistently receive the best quality service possible.
Harry Crossley
Business Development Manager
Harry came through the Close Brothers Aspire Programme in 2014 and since then he has worked in various operational roles within Close Brothers before joining the Wholesale Fleet team in 2016. Harry strives to achieve positive customer outcomes ensuring that our customers have the best possible experience.