Lloyds Bank’s commercial real estate unit provided more than £7.4bn of loans in 2014, an 8% rise on 2013’s total.
Growth came from all segments; however, big-ticket deals were the best performers by the end of 2014.
Since the downturn, Lloyds has sought to hold fewer loans on its books, preferring to distribute the debt soon after sale.
Notable among such deals was the finance provided for the £296m Tower Place, EC3, purchase by Ping An in January this year, which Lloyds has since sold down to third-party investors.
In addition, Lloyds highlighted its increased involvement in development lending. This included the Shell Centre, SE1, deal, where it joined Barclays, HSBC and the Qatari National Bank in a £450m club deal.
The bank’s least-active sector was mid-sized loans of between £20m and £50m, a market in which German banks have been particularly active.
John Feeney, global head of commercial real estate at Lloyds, said he expected 2015 to see further growth.
He said: “There is plenty of scope for expansion. We would be happy to do more or less than the previous year.
“Our balance sheet is in a healthier place than just about anyone else’s and from what I can see in the pipeline for the first half of the year, I think we can do more than last year.”
