United Trust Bank has advanced £13m in combined acquisition and development finance to Oakwood Group for a 33-home scheme in Birkdale, the affluent Merseyside coastal suburb best known for its championship golf links and premium seaside housing stock. The facility, structured to cover both land purchase and build-out costs, underscores a broader trend: specialist lenders are continuing to fund mid-sized regional housebuilders even as mainstream banks tighten criteria for development lending across the sector.