Somo

About Somo

Somo was founded as The BridgeCrowd in 2012, drawing on a founding team with roots in two generations of family property bridging lenders. The business is described internally as a "second generation family of bridging lenders" — not a marketing phrase, but a literal description of a team whose combined lending experience spans more than 300 years across accountancy, finance, law, insolvency practice and loan underwriting. That depth of expertise is what allows the business to make sensible decisions quickly, particularly on complex cases that fall outside the template most lenders apply.

In 2020, the business rebranded from BridgeCrowd to Somo (standing for Social Money Limited), alongside the announcement of an institutional funding arrangement backed by Deutsche Bank. The rebrand and the capital injection marked a pivot from a predominantly peer-to-peer model to a more structured non-bank lending platform, with expanded capacity to serve borrowers across England and Wales. CEO Louis Alexander described the move as a pivotal point in the business becoming a more mature company.

Since 2014, Somo has underwritten over £500 million in bridging loans — a consistent track record built on a lending discipline that prioritises quality of loans over volume. The business offers both borrowers and investors access to its bridging portfolio, with investor returns paid monthly or at term end. Rates from 0.69% per month are among the most competitive available from any non-bank lender for loans in this size range.

Bridging Loans from Somo

Somo lends from £27,500 to £3 million on bridging, with terms up to 24 months and LTVs up to 75%. Rates from 0.69% per month. Borrowers can choose to pay interest monthly or rolled up at term end. The lender covers England and Wales on first and second charge residential and commercial property.

What Can Somo Finance?

• Residential bridging — purchase, auction, capital raise
• Below-market-value purchases
• Property refurbishment
• Commercial and semi-commercial property
• Business investment purposes
• Borrowers with adverse credit histories

How to Apply with Somo

Somo works through commercial finance brokers and directly with borrowers. Enquiries go to [email protected] or by phone on 0161 312 56 56. The team is based at St Johns House, Barrington Road, Altrincham, Manchester WA14 1JY.