Shawbrook: products, terms and eligibility

Shawbrook is a UK provider of commercial mortgages and bank lending. The legal entity named on its site is Shawbrook Bank Limited, company number 00388466. It is based in London. It gives its founding year as 1944. It is part of Shawbrook Group PLC.

Companies House shows Shawbrook Bank Limited was incorporated on 29 June 1944, with a previous name of Whiteaway Laidlaw Bank Limited. Shawbrook says its Healthcare Finance team was formed in 2018. Its investor pages publish annual reports for both Shawbrook Group PLC and Shawbrook Bank Ltd. Its business lending pages no longer list asset finance, focusing on asset based, leverage, healthcare, speciality and sponsor-backed lending.

In its own words on scale:

• Says its Healthcare Finance team has completed over 150 transactions and provided more than £550m to UK healthcare providers.
• Says it supports around 80 UK-based specialist lenders and funds.
• Says its non-sponsor leverage finance portfolio grew to over £400m in four years.

Everything on this page comes from what Shawbrook publishes itself. We show the date we last checked it, and we do not rate or rank lenders.

Shawbrook publishes 5 products for UK businesses. The table above gives the amounts and terms as it states them.

• Asset Based Lending: Revolving borrowing base; optional interest-only periods on property.
• Corporate Leverage Finance: Amortising, with interest-only periods and bullet options.
• Healthcare Finance: Initial interest-only period available.
• Speciality and Fund Finance: Block discounting, revolving credit facilities and fund finance.

Asset Based Lending

Facilities of £5m to £50m secured against debtors, stock, plant and machinery and property, sometimes alongside cash flow lending, with no collateral caps and up to 30-year amortisation on property. Funds are drawn as needed against a borrowing base. Security is a senior all-asset debenture.

Corporate Leverage Finance

A senior cash flow term loan of £3m to £25m, typically for 3 to 5 years, for growth, acquisitions or ownership changes, and can be combined with working capital facilities. Size is set by a multiple of EBITDA or the vacant possession value of owner-occupied commercial property. Secured by a senior first-ranking debenture.

Healthcare Finance

Facilities of £1m to £35m for established UK care, children’s services, nursery, home care, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, hospital and diagnostics operators, up to 5.5x EBITDA and 75% loan to enterprise value, over up to 5 years. Secured by cash flow, debentures and, where applicable, property.

Speciality and Fund Finance

Funding for specialist lenders and investment funds: block discounting from £5m, and revolving credit facilities and fund finance from £10m, up to £50m, structured around lending portfolios, investor commitments or fund assets.

Financial Sponsors

Unitranche (a single facility combining senior and subordinated debt, £5m to £50m), venture debt for VC-backed businesses and recurring revenue finance for sponsor-backed businesses.

Shawbrook says its finance is used for:

• Acquisitions and mergers
• Management buy-outs
• Employee ownership trusts
• Refinancing
• Working capital
• Investing for growth

Sectors and business types it says it funds:

• Healthcare and care homes
• Nurseries and children’s services
• Transport and logistics
• Wealth management
• Waste management
• Search funds
• Property development
• Specialist lenders and investment funds

Shawbrook publishes these criteria. Meeting them does not mean an application will be accepted: every lender makes its own decision.

• Established UK businesses.
• Asset Based Lending: at least two years of active UK operations and quality assets for a borrowing base, typically transactions of £5m or more.
• Acquisition finance: typically trading for more than three years with at least £1m EBITDA.
• Healthcare finance: most borrowers have at least 3 years of trading; start-ups typically not eligible unless part of a wider group.
• Healthcare operators must comply with the relevant UK regulatory framework for their sector.

Shawbrook describes its process like this:

1. Submit an enquiry for the relevant product through Shawbrook’s business lending pages.
2. Shawbrook’s specialist team discusses the business and funding requirements.
3. Advisers, accountants, lawyers and other introducers can submit an enquiry about working with Shawbrook.

Every application is subject to status and the lender’s own criteria at the time.

A commercial mortgage is a long-term loan secured on business premises or investment property. Lenders look at the property’s value, the deposit, and whether the business’s profits or the rent comfortably cover the repayments.

Banks often lend across several products, from overdrafts to asset finance, and some can offer facilities under government schemes. See government-backed business loans for how those work.

Our guide to commercial mortgages and bank lending explains the costs, who it suits and how to compare offers.

Points Shawbrook publishes that are worth knowing:

• When we checked on 15 October 2026, Shawbrook’s business lending pages no longer listed asset finance (equipment leasing or hire purchase); its former asset finance address redirected to the business lending page.
• Shawbrook says its business lending is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority.
• Security may be required, and any property or asset used as security may be at risk if you do not repay.
• Leverage finance usually includes two financial covenants (a leverage test and a cash flow test).
• Parental and cross guarantees may be required alongside a senior debenture.

Security and guarantees

Asset Based Lending: senior all-asset debenture; parental and cross guarantees may be required. Corporate Leverage Finance: senior first-ranking debenture; parental and cross guarantees may be required. Healthcare Finance: secured by cash flow, debentures and, where applicable, freehold or leasehold property.

Shawbrook’s site states: “Shawbrook Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 204574).”

You can check any firm’s permissions on the FCA’s Financial Services Register, listed in the sources below, before you sign anything.

Protections differ by borrower type and loan size. Most lending to limited companies is not regulated consumer credit, so read the agreement and ask the lender what applies to you.

Other providers of commercial mortgages and bank lending with profiles here include TSB, Virgin Money and YBS Commercial Mortgages. Each profile uses that lender’s own published terms.

The full list, grouped by product type, is in our directory of UK business lenders.

Capzy is a credit broker, not a lender, and gets paid by the lender. One application lets your business compare options across lenders, so you can weigh this kind of facility against the alternatives. You can check your funding options with a soft search that does not affect your credit score. A full application to a lender may involve a hard search, and any offer is subject to status and lender criteria.