Lloyds loses leading lights

Lloyds Banking Group, the biggest lender to UK property, is losing its two top property bankers.

Nick Robinson and John Moran are to leave Lloyds at the end of next week for personal reasons.

Managing director of corporate real estate Robinson and joint ventures equity director Moran were key figures under Peter Cumming’s integrated finance regime at HBOS’s Bank of Scotland Corporate division.

Robinson told Property Week: “I have been a generalist in the past and am a property person now. I need to think about what to do next.

“We have come a huge distance in my two years in property, particularly in the last 10 months. We now have a plan to manage the distressed loan book and how to manage our core book.

“Everyone knows where they are at Lloyds.

The foundations are built and the architectural plans are well developed.

“But we are on a five-to-eight-year journey here and, having set up the structure, I now feel it is time for someone else to pick up the role.”

Lloyds, which has a UK loan book of around £70bn, said it would seek a replacement for Robinson.

Until a replacement is found, property clients will report to different divisions of the bank, depending on the size of their aggregated facilities.

Diana Brightmore-Armour is in charge of the corporate banking division for all business customers with a turnover of more than £15m. John Maltby heads the commercial division for business customers with a turnover of less than £15m.

Regional property bankers Garry Gerrard and Brian Darling will continue to be responsible for Scotland and the north of England, and for the south of England, Midlands and Wales, respectively. Mike Smith remains the major corporate real estate director. All three will report to Ceri Richards, corporate specialised industry finance director.

Mid-corporate real estate director Mike Kirsopp, who handles property clients with facilities of less than £15m, will report to Maltby.

The business support team, headed by Richard Dakin, is not affected by Robinson’s departure.

Nigel Moss will take over from Moran on an interim basis. He will manage the joint ventures equity business, which will become part of the banking group’s existing LDC unit.

LDC is the UK regional mid-market private equity house, which is part of the bank and is headed by chief executive Darryl Eales.

Graeme Shankland, who reports directly to wholesale group executive director Truett Tate, continues to manage the Specialist Finance business, which covers integrated finance and leveraged loans in a range of sectors.