Use our expertise & experience

We’ve been successfully managing funds and making loans across the co-operative and social investment market for over 50 years.

CCF is one of only a few actors in the Social Investment market to offer loan management and back-office solutions alongside its own loan funds. We are the oldest Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) in the UK and, we believe, one of the most successful and sustainable. We are also one of a few CDFIs that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the conduct of investment business which means we can manage other organisations loan funds.

We have been providing back-office and loan management support to a range of organisations from local authorities, trusts and foundations through to Credit Unions and CDFI’s for well over 20 years, helping fledgling organisations such as London Rebuilding Society, BCRS Business Loans, Aston Reinvestment Trust (ART) and Big Issue Invest grow into the established Responsible Finance lenders Social Investors and they are today.

When it comes to managing funds and minimising losses while maximising social impact…we know what we’re doing. CCF maintains a default rate of less than 3% across its own investment portfolio, one of the lowest in the sector, offering reassurance that we are well placed to manage your funds.

In recent years we have invested in a comprehensive and tailored cloud-based loan management CRM software, to effectively, and accurately, manage our own loan and investment portfolios and the those of our partners and clients. We offer a flexible and bespoke suite of services and solutions ranging from discreet back- office services to comprehensive design and portfolio management services, each tailored to the individual needs, and designed to save time and money and help clients meet their objectives and create positive impact.

We are also keen to work in partnership with like-minded organisations to develop new and innovative finance products and services for enterprises that will help to deliver diverse, social, environmental and community benefit that meet our values and strategic objectives.

What solutions do we have for clients?

As a fairly small and agile business, we can provide a tailored a package of support to meet the requirements of all clients. Who are you? Maybe you are:

a local authority, infrastructure body or federation that wants to support your industry or sector with a finance product but lack the in-house expertise, capacity and don’t want the anxiety of the regulations
a trust or foundation that wants to divert some of your endowment or invested funds into a loan or equity product, maximising outcomes by recycling funds through community and impact driven enterprises, rather than all through arm’s length investments, and want someone else to manage a portfolio as a distinct product separate from your grant making
an emerging or existing loan provider that has capacity/ time and or tech restraints and would benefit from outsourcing their direct debit collections, statements rescheduling and reprofiling giving you more time to work with clients and create impact
a growing or diversifying organisation that needs the comfort that there is someone there with experience, expertise and the tools to call upon as your portfolio grows.

Whatever enterprise you represent if you share our ethical and responsible values, we would very much like to help find solutions for your organisation as you start, diversify or grow the financial solutions for your community.

To find out more about our fund management services please contact us for an informal discussion (info@coopfinance.coop or 0800 464 7262).

So, what do we offer?

Back office services

This can include:

Setting up loan accounts on our cloud-based CRM
Holding monies and provision of treasury services
Due diligence and anti-money laundering checks
Collection of repayments by monthly direct debit
Re-calculating and reprofiling loans
Bookkeeping
Credit control – early repayment, capital holidays and loan extensions
Statement generation
Comprehensive security and audit trails
And a range of loan administration tasks including perfecting security and loan variations.

Example

We have provided discrete back-office services to the innovative and ethical lender Radical Routes for 25 years. Radical Routes offers long term loans to Worker Co-operatives and Housing Co-ops. Radical Routes is a small organisation, lending circa £300,000 a year and don’t have the funds to invest in, and maintain, their own loan management software, nor the BACS sponsor to collect payment. We hold their funds in a dedicated client account, make disbursals on their behalf, collect monthly repayments, and do all the loan admin and perform inevitable variations (interest rate increases and decreases, changes to terms, etc…) required over the course of a loan. Each month we provide Radical Routes statements for their borrowers, but they remain distinctly customers and in their case members of Radical Routes, who make all the lending decisions, set the terms and monitor their portfolio.

“As an organisation which runs largely on the time and money contributions of our member co-ops, being able to hand over the complex administrative burden of our loan scheme to CCF has been key to our ability to make loans at all. Knowing that our member borrowers are dealing with another co-operative, with shared values and a shared desire for economic agency and a solidarity economy, means that we know issues will be dealt with appropriately and collaboratively – and it’s just good to work with great people.”

Gauthier Guerin, Radical Routes

Portfolio Management

This can include:

Fund design, project management and implementation
Appraisal and Due Diligence
Credit/ Investment Committee options
Due diligence and anti-money laundering checks
Preparing, raising and releasing loan documentation
Perfection of security
Setting up client accounts to hold funds
Portfolio treasury
Release of funds
Collections and variations
Monitoring
Fund recovery/ Lifeboat service

Example

We helped the Co-op Foundation design their £1M+ Creating Spaces Fund, this was the Co-op Foundations, a charitable grant giver, first foray into providing impact loans. CCF supported the Foundation in all aspects of loan design and application, appraisal and deployment processes. Following the launch CCF provided joint appraisal support and training to the Foundation team, visiting (and ultimately lending to) nearly 50 applicants from across the UK as part of the process for presentation to their board/ investment committee. Initially the Foundation manged their own disbursals, and collections having all the systems in place as a large grant giver but keeping track of repayments and variations to terms proved a challenge and CCF subsequently took over the full back-office loan management and financial monitoring. We still look after the portfolio today, working with the Foundation and providing expertise and interventions when necessary.

“Working with CCF has been great. They are so supportive and knowledgeable and have a deep understanding of our work. They are incredibly responsive and always on hand with expertise when we need it.”

Ella Smyth, Funding & Partnerships Manager

Partnerships

CCF are always keen to work with partners and organisations that share our values to develop and deliver new finance packages and initiatives across co-operative, employee owned, social and community sector businesses. Over the years we have partnered with a range of organisations and delivered award winning projects such as More than a Pub and Just Growth alongside infrastructure partners, grant givers and government.

We are currently involved in two blended loan and grant funds, Thrive Together (currently closed for applications) and the Energy resilience Fund, both involve a number of partners reaching into distinct sectors and communities to broaden support in disadvantaged areas and helping tackle social, community and environmental challenges. And the Booster Flex Fund an innovative fund investing in Community Share offers.

Charging

We have a range of charging options, including fixed set up fees and monthly or quarterly charges and a day rate for ad hoc and consultancy.

If you would like to explore how our expertise and experience of specialist lending might help your organisation, local authority or the people you represent please Register Your Interest or call our team on 0800 464 7262 for an informal discussion.