OakNorth
Panel top-end lender we route to for £500k+ tickets where the file has the financials to support a bespoke deal. We send established Ltd companies here when the applicant has a clear acquisition, growth or commercial-property story and the speed pressure allows for proper underwriting. PRA-regulated UK bank with proprietary credit modelling that picks up cases mainstream banks refuse.
Quick routing verdict
- Product: SME term loan + bridging.
- Ticket band: £500k to £50m+.
- Decision time: 7 to 14 business days.
- Pricing: Bespoke.
- FCA-authorised.
At a glance
- Legal entity
- OakNorth Bank plc
- Companies House
- 08595042
- Founded
- 2015
- Product
- SME term loan + bridging
- Ticket range
- £500k to £50m+
- Decision time
- 7 to 14 business days
- Ltd-only
- Yes (FundBiz routes Ltd / LLP / partnerships of 4+ only regardless)
- Last reviewed
- 2026-06-12
Why we route here
- PRA-regulated UK bank, useful when applicants want a deposit-taking institution behind the deal.
- Proprietary credit modelling means we can route some files OakNorth will engage with that mainstream banks would refuse.
- Significant facility size available, so £1m to £50m+ tickets stay on the panel rather than going off-panel.
- Strong record on commercial real estate and acquisition finance, which we lean on for property-backed and acquisition-led applicants.
When we route elsewhere
- Not self-serve, so the matcher flags that a real banker has to engage and the applicant has to commit time.
- Headline rates not published, so the matcher cannot give an indicative rate before the conversation.
- Not interested below £500k, route smaller tickets to Allica, Aldermore or Funding Circle.
- 7 to 14 business day decision window is too slow for cash-this-week applicants, route those to iwoca or Capify.
Best fit applicants
- £500k+ tickets backed by clear acquisition, growth or property story
- Established Ltds with strong financials and time for a proper underwrite
- Commercial real estate and acquisition finance deals
Where OakNorth is the wrong fit
- Sub-£500k tickets, route to Allica, Aldermore or Funding Circle
- Self-serve speed-led applicants, route to iwoca or Capify
- Newer Ltds without a 2+ year trading record, route to iwoca or Start Up Loans Company
If declined by OakNorth
If your application to OakNorth is declined, the FundBiz post-decline matcher routes by decline reason. Common alternatives in our panel are listed in the "When we route elsewhere" section above. See also our OakNorth decline runbook for sector-specific routing detail, and our side-by-side guide to OakNorth alternatives for the closest UK specialty finance providers.
Other panel lenders
- 365 Business Finance, Merchant cash advance
- Aldermore, Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages
- Allica Bank, SME term loan + commercial mortgage
- Bizcap, Specialist post-decline / fast cash
Editorial reviews
For independent editorial reviews of OakNorth and the wider UK SMB lending market, see our sister site BestBusinessLoans.
Run the matcher
Tell us your turnover, sector and ticket size. We score against OakNorth and the wider FundBiz panel, then surface the lenders most likely to approve. Limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+ only.
Open matcher →Last reviewed: 2026-06-12. By Oliver Mackman.