United Trust Bank appoints Steve Gee to build new vendor finance business
United Trust Bank (UTB) has appointed highly experienced asset finance professional Steve Gee as commercial director – asset finance, as the Bank continues to invest in and expand its Asset Finance business.
Steve joins UTB following a 26-year career with Close Brothers, where for the last 10 years he was CEO of Close Brothers Asset Finance’s Industrial Equipment Division. During his tenure, Steve helped build the business from the ground up into a major specialist asset finance operation and developed extensive experience supporting manufacturers, equipment suppliers and SMEs across the UK.
Steve will lead the development of a new vendor finance business for UTB, working with equipment dealers and manufacturers to provide asset finance solutions to their SME customers. The new operation, which will be based in the North-West, will provide nationwide coverage and focus on the manufacturing, construction, transport, materials handling and print sectors, combining specialist sector knowledge, strong dealer relationships and UTB’s increasingly sophisticated credit and operational capability.
Steve’s appointment comes at a period of significant momentum for UTB Asset Finance. The Bank’s Asset Finance business has delivered a strong performance during 2026 with much of the growth driven by the soft launch of Stance Asset Finance which is scheduled for a wider national roll-out later this year. Stance was launched to give brokers and SMEs another competitive funding option for deals which fall outside of UTB’s established proposition criteria.
The creation of a dedicated vendor finance capability represents another step in UTB’s ambition to broaden its asset finance offering and support more UK SMEs investing in the equipment and technology they need to grow.
Nathan Mollett, managing director – asset finance at United Trust Bank, commented: “Steve is one of the most experienced and respected people in UK asset finance, and we’re delighted that he has chosen to join UTB at such an exciting stage in our development.
“We’ve built tremendous momentum across asset finance this year, both through our established UTB business and the successful soft launch of Stance. Steve’s appointment adds another important dimension to our growth plans by enabling us to build a dedicated vendor finance capability around equipment dealers and manufacturers. His experience, relationships and deep understanding of the industrial equipment market will be invaluable as we create yet another business line within UTB Asset Finance.”
Steve Gee, commercial director – asset finance at United Trust Bank, said: “I’ve spent most of my career working with businesses who invest in equipment to improve productivity, increase capacity and create growth, so the opportunity to build a new vendor finance business at UTB was too good to miss.
“UTB already has an excellent reputation in Asset Finance and there’s a real sense of ambition and momentum across the business. Ultimately, this is about helping more SMEs get access to the assets they need to invest, grow and thrive. I’m really looking forward to building the business from the ground up and contributing to the next exciting phase of UTB’s development in the asset finance industry.”