A few months into his role as Consultant covering the South West, we caught up with Mark Prunty to find out what he’s been working on, how he’s finding his new role, and what he’s seeing on the ground in his patch.

How have you found your first few months since joining R&BS?

I’ve absolutely loved it. The way I look at it, this job is the best parts of what I was doing previously – meeting clients, understanding their businesses and helping them achieve their goals. But I’m not pigeonholed into one lender’s products anymore. I’m now helping them put together a strong proposition and going out to the market to find the most suitable terms. It’s not just about the rate — it’s about finding the right lender for that client’s particular situation, someone who genuinely understands what they’re trying to do. When you get that right, and someone says thank you at the end of it, you don’t need anything more than that.

What’s been the biggest surprise so far?

Probably something I couldn’t have anticipated — the variation in service levels between lenders. I assumed they’d all be fairly similar, but that really hasn’t been the case. Some banks seem to spend their time looking for reasons notto do things, rather than finding a way to make them work. My mindset has always been: if it’s affordable and it’s secure, find a way. Not everyone shares that view.

A good example is glamping. It’s one of the most active areas I’m seeing right now but lenders often can’t quite place it. Is it agriculture? Is it tourism and hospitality? In some cases the answer is both, and that’s exactly where the problem lies. Some lenders won’t touch it as agriculture because they see the tourism and hospitality element, and others won’t touch it as tourism and hospitality because they see the land and livestock. It ends up falling between two stools.

That’s where having access to the whole market really matters. I’ve had three glamping cases recently where we’ve been able to get something done. These aren’t just financial transactions. For the people involved, this is a dream they’ve been working towards. Getting it over the line means everything to them, which makes it all the more satisfying when it comes together.

What types of cases have been keeping you busy?

It’s varied, which is one of the things I enjoy. We recently helped a young man step out of his father’s farm — he took on some rented land, got some livestock on it, and has made a real start building his own business. Alongside that, I’ve got a farm purchase at just over £1 million for tenant farmers who are buying their own place for the first time. That’s a big deal for a family. Those kinds of cases are enormously satisfying.

Most of the cases that find their way to us have some complexity to them. That’s generally why clients come — they just don’t know where to look or they’ve tried elsewhere and haven’t got anywhere. The job is finding the right way to present a proposition to the right lender so it makes sense and the viability of the business is clear.

What are you seeing on the ground in the South West?

Fuel and input costs are a real concern. Contractors are worried about passing price increases on to farmers; farmers are watching fertiliser costs go up. There are genuine questions about food security if things carry on in this direction and it’s not getting the attention it deserves in the news. We saw during Covid what happens when supply chains are disrupted. I think the country needs to take farming more seriously.

That said, when someone wants to buy, they buy. I haven’t seen a notable drop in enquiries. If somebody wants something, they start planning and looking, and that’s when they come to us. The demand for finance hasn’t dried up. People with plans and ambitions are still pursuing them.

What advice would you give to someone looking for finance right now?

Affordability is everything, and it’s the first thing I look at. If someone can genuinely afford what they’re trying to do, I’ll bend over backwards to make it work. I always stress-test the figures. If costs go up by 10%, does it still stack up? I’d never knowingly put someone in a position where they’re struggling with repayments six months down the line. These are long-term commitments, often 25 years, and they’ve got to be right for the client and the business.

The other thing I’d say is don’t assume your existing bank is giving you the most suitable terms, or that they’re even the right lender for what you want to do. Loyalty doesn’t always pay; just because you’ve banked somewhere for years doesn’t mean they’ll reward you with better terms. People can get stuck with their own bank and not realise there are better options available elsewhere. Having said that, we can sometimes get clients a better rate with their own bank than they’d have been offered directly. Shopping around with someone who knows the market, and understands how to position your case to the right lender, in the right way, will nearly always get you a better outcome.

Looking ahead — what are you most looking forward to?

More of the same, really. The show season is just getting going — Devon County, Royal Cornwall, Bath and West, the Honiton Show. The smaller agricultural shows are particularly good because you actually meet farmers, rather than lots of general public. I’m also staying in touch with the contacts I built up over my years at HSBC, and building new relationships with rural professionals in the area.

But honestly, what drives me is helping people. I’ve never looked at this role as selling. If I can help someone get where they want to go — whether that’s a young farmer starting out, or a family buying a farm — that’s what it’s all about.

About Mark

Mark brings extensive experience in agricultural finance to R&BS, having spent many years as a Relationship Manager at HSBC working closely with farm and rural businesses across the South West. Based in Devon, he covers the South West region and welcomes enquiries from both new and existing clients.