Misplaced Pages

#570429

65-544: Lombard North Central , trading as Lombard , is a finance company specialising in asset based lending . It is one of the largest finance houses in the United Kingdom and part of the ring-fenced business of NatWest Group . The company started life hiring out rolling stock to the railways in 1861. The North Central Wagon Co was set up in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1861. A group of astute investors see

130-428: A broad range of subfields exists within finance. Asset- , money- , risk- and investment management aim to maximize value and minimize volatility . Financial analysis assesses the viability, stability, and profitability of an action or entity. Some fields are multidisciplinary, such as mathematical finance , financial law , financial economics , financial engineering and financial technology . These fields are

195-431: A high degree of computational complexity and are slow to converge to a solution on classical computers. In particular, when it comes to option pricing, there is additional complexity resulting from the need to respond to quickly changing markets. For example, in order to take advantage of inaccurately priced stock options, the computation must complete before the next change in the almost continuously changing stock market. As

260-492: A loan or other debt obligations. The main areas of personal finance are considered to be income, spending, saving, investing, and protection. The following steps, as outlined by the Financial Planning Standards Board, suggest that an individual will understand a potentially secure personal finance plan after: Corporate finance deals with the actions that managers take to increase the value of

325-675: A long-term strategic perspective regarding investment decisions that affect public entities. These long-term strategic periods typically encompass five or more years. Public finance is primarily concerned with: Central banks, such as the Federal Reserve System banks in the United States and the Bank of England in the United Kingdom , are strong players in public finance. They act as lenders of last resort as well as strong influences on monetary and credit conditions in

390-414: A mix of an art and science , and there are ongoing related efforts to organize a list of unsolved problems in finance . Managerial finance is the branch of finance that deals with the financial aspects of the management of a company, and the financial dimension of managerial decision-making more broadly. It provides the theoretical underpin for the practice described above , concerning itself with

455-447: A result, the finance community is always looking for ways to overcome the resulting performance issues that arise when pricing options. This has led to research that applies alternative computing techniques to finance. Most commonly used quantum financial models are quantum continuous model, quantum binomial model, multi-step quantum binomial model etc. The origin of finance can be traced to the beginning of state formation and trade during

520-446: A sophisticated mathematical model is required, and thus overlaps several of the above. As a specialized practice area, quantitative finance comprises primarily three sub-disciplines; the underlying theory and techniques are discussed in the next section: DCF valuation formula widely applied in business and finance, since articulated in 1938 . Here, to get the value of the firm , its forecasted free cash flows are discounted to

585-398: A well-diversified portfolio, achieved investment performance will, in general, largely be a function of the asset mix selected, while the individual securities are less impactful. The specific approach or philosophy will also be significant, depending on the extent to which it is complementary with the market cycle . Risk management here is discussed immediately below. A quantitative fund

650-482: Is about performing valuation and asset allocation today, based on the risk and uncertainty of future outcomes while appropriately incorporating the time value of money . Determining the present value of these future values, "discounting", must be at the risk-appropriate discount rate , in turn, a major focus of finance-theory. As financial theory has roots in many disciplines, including mathematics, statistics, economics, physics, and psychology, it can be considered

715-436: Is managed using computer-based mathematical techniques (increasingly, machine learning ) instead of human judgment. The actual trading is typically automated via sophisticated algorithms . Risk management , in general, is the study of how to control risks and balance the possibility of gains; it is the process of measuring risk and then developing and implementing strategies to manage that risk. Financial risk management

SECTION 10

#1732797332571

780-444: Is mathematics that is actually important in this new scenario Finance theory is heavily based on financial instrument pricing such as stock option pricing. Many of the problems facing the finance community have no known analytical solution. As a result, numerical methods and computer simulations for solving these problems have proliferated. This research area is known as computational finance . Many computational finance problems have

845-657: Is often indirect, through a financial intermediary such as a bank , or via the purchase of notes or bonds ( corporate bonds , government bonds , or mutual bonds) in the bond market . The lender receives interest, the borrower pays a higher interest than the lender receives, and the financial intermediary earns the difference for arranging the loan. A bank aggregates the activities of many borrowers and lenders. A bank accepts deposits from lenders, on which it pays interest. The bank then lends these deposits to borrowers. Banks allow borrowers and lenders, of different sizes, to coordinate their activity. Investing typically entails

910-551: Is provided for consumer durables at over 20,000 retail outlets. The 1980s also brought an increase in Lombard's motor finance, working from 123 offices across the United Kingdom. Links were built with major motor manufacturers and dealers. These relationships were reflected in the company's sponsorship of the annual Lombard RAC Rally from 1978 to 1992. In 1995, Lombard North Central changed its corporate identity, and adopted

975-497: Is referred to as "wholesale finance". Institutions here extend the products offered , with related trading, to include bespoke options , swaps , and structured products , as well as specialized financing ; this " financial engineering " is inherently mathematical , and these institutions are then the major employers of "quants" (see below ). In these institutions, risk management , regulatory capital , and compliance play major roles. As outlined, finance comprises, broadly,

1040-471: Is the branch of economics that studies the interrelation of financial variables , such as prices , interest rates and shares, as opposed to real economic variables, i.e. goods and services . It thus centers on pricing, decision making, and risk management in the financial markets , and produces many of the commonly employed financial models . ( Financial econometrics is the branch of financial economics that uses econometric techniques to parameterize

1105-485: Is the practice of protecting corporate value against financial risks , often by "hedging" exposure to these using financial instruments. The focus is particularly on credit and market risk, and in banks, through regulatory capital, includes operational risk. Financial risk management is related to corporate finance in two ways. Firstly, firm exposure to market risk is a direct result of previous capital investments and funding decisions; while credit risk arises from

1170-400: Is then often referred to as "business finance". Typically, "corporate finance" relates to the long term objective of maximizing the value of the entity's assets , its stock , and its return to shareholders , while also balancing risk and profitability . This entails three primary areas: The latter creates the link with investment banking and securities trading , as above, in that

1235-665: The Bronze Age . The earliest historical evidence of finance is dated to around 3000 BCE. Banking originated in West Asia, where temples and palaces were used as safe places for the storage of valuables. Initially, the only valuable that could be deposited was grain, but cattle and precious materials were eventually included. During the same period, the Sumerian city of Uruk in Mesopotamia supported trade by lending as well as

1300-693: The Central School of Speech and Drama . In 1982, Reitel starred in The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim , a sitcom on BBC Two written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais . Reitel played Jim Dixon, based on the character created by Kingsley Amis . He appeared on stage in Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre in 1986. On television he worked as an impressionist on the satirical puppet show Spitting Image and starred in

1365-503: The ITV sitcom Mog as a burglar who spent his days in a psychiatric hospital , pretending to be insane. He played the lead role in the UK television comedy series The Optimist which ran from 1983 for two series. The programme was almost entirely silent. In each episode 'The Optimist' wandered through life doing his best to look on the bright side. He was usually thwarted in his endeavours by

SECTION 20

#1732797332571

1430-706: The Roman Republic , interest was outlawed by the Lex Genucia reforms in 342 BCE, though the provision went largely unenforced. Under Julius Caesar , a ceiling on interest rates of 12% was set, and much later under Justinian it was lowered even further to between 4% and 8%. Enn Reitel Enn Reitel (born 21 June 1950) is a Scottish actor who specialises in voice work in films, television series and video games. Reitel's family arrived in Scotland as refugees from Estonia . He trained as an actor at

1495-446: The managerial application of the various finance techniques . Academics working in this area are typically based in business school finance departments, in accounting , or in management science . The tools addressed and developed relate in the main to managerial accounting and corporate finance : the former allow management to better understand, and hence act on, financial information relating to profitability and performance;

1560-724: The numerical methods applied here. Experimental finance aims to establish different market settings and environments to experimentally observe and provide a lens through which science can analyze agents' behavior and the resulting characteristics of trading flows, information diffusion, and aggregation, price setting mechanisms, and returns processes. Researchers in experimental finance can study to what extent existing financial economics theory makes valid predictions and therefore prove them, as well as attempt to discover new principles on which such theory can be extended and be applied to future financial decisions. Research may proceed by conducting trading simulations or by establishing and studying

1625-1470: The Agents of SMASH , Master Ding in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness , Sebastian Oliver in Adr1ft , Olgan in Baten Kaitos Origins , Bootstrap Bill Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest , A Male Pedestrian in Infamous , Deraegis in Batman: The Brave and the Bold , Five Leaf Clover Guy, Japanese Deputy, Robertson, Boss Guraji and Fox in TripTank , Edwin Jarvis in Marvel Heroes , An English Spy in American Dad! , Billy in Dead Silence and The Dreamer in The Secret World . In May 2014, Reitel replaced Ade Edmondson as

1690-521: The Grave . In the first Christmas special, he played "Mr. Starkey", a down and out who holds Victor Meldrew ( Richard Wilson ) and his neighbour Pippa's father, Reverend Croker ( Geoffrey Chater ) at gunpoint to wait for Armageddon on Christmas Day. In the second episode of series 3, "Dreamland", he played a tramp who took a fancy to Victor's shoes, but drew the line at his Noel Edmonds -esque sweater. Reitel does voiceovers for The X Factor . He played

1755-601: The Maltese government from 1975 to 1988. During the 1970s, Lombard's 'big ticket' leasing for such items as aircraft, ships and petrochemical works grew. In 1979, Lombard North Central was licensed as a deposit taking institution under the new Banking Act. In the 1980s, asset based financing for business grew dramatically. A Corporate Finance department began to specialise in tailoring and negotiating facilities for major companies, pioneering combined leasing of industrial buildings, plant and machinery. In consumer finance, finance

1820-753: The Town Crier and The Maggot in Tim Burton 's Corpse Bride and played Auric Goldfinger in the 2004 video game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent . It is his voice that provides the vocals on Lemon Jelly 's "Nice Weather For Ducks" in 2002. He narrated the in-game promo spot for the Praying Mantis PMC in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots . He also does Lorenzo Belli's voice from Capcom's survival horror game Haunting Ground . He

1885-1093: The United Kingdom and won the country's only gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , and also at the Sydney Summer Olympics of 2000 . Lombard are title sponsors of the PGA and WPGA Lombard Trophy, a Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Regional finals take place across the United Kingdom, with the grand final taking place in Portugal. Lombard were also title sponsors of the Rally GB from 1974 to 1992. Finance In these financial systems, assets are bought, sold, or traded as financial instruments , such as currencies , loans , bonds , shares , stocks , options , futures , etc. Assets can also be banked , invested , and insured to maximize value and minimize loss. In practice, risks are always present in any financial action and entities. Due to its wide scope,

1950-478: The above " Fundamental theorem of asset pricing ". The subject has a close relationship with financial economics, which, as outlined, is concerned with much of the underlying theory that is involved in financial mathematics: generally, financial mathematics will derive and extend the mathematical models suggested. Computational finance is the branch of (applied) computer science that deals with problems of practical interest in finance, and especially emphasizes

2015-501: The behavior of people in artificial, competitive, market-like settings. Behavioral finance studies how the psychology of investors or managers affects financial decisions and markets and is relevant when making a decision that can impact either negatively or positively on one of their areas. With more in-depth research into behavioral finance, it is possible to bridge what actually happens in financial markets with analysis based on financial theory. Behavioral finance has grown over

Lombard North Central - Misplaced Pages Continue

2080-467: The business possibilities in leasing wagons to local railway companies, collieries and quarries. A black diamond representing a lump of coal was adopted as the company's symbol. By 1900, nearly 25,000 railway wagons were on hire. After the First World War, the company began to move into financing road transport. In 1928, Prudential Assurance Company and the financier Connop Guthrie bought out

2145-579: The business's credit policy and is often addressed through credit insurance and provisioning . Secondly, both disciplines share the goal of enhancing or at least preserving, the firm's economic value , and in this context overlaps also enterprise risk management , typically the domain of strategic management . Here, businesses devote much time and effort to forecasting , analytics and performance monitoring . (See ALM and treasury management .) For banks and other wholesale institutions, risk management focuses on managing, and as necessary hedging,

2210-891: The capital raised will generically comprise debt, i.e. corporate bonds , and equity , often listed shares . Re risk management within corporates, see below . Financial managers—i.e. as distinct from corporate financiers—focus more on the short term elements of profitability, cash flow, and " working capital management " ( inventory , credit and debtors ), ensuring that the firm can safely and profitably carry out its financial and operational objectives; i.e. that it: (1) can service both maturing short-term debt repayments, and scheduled long-term debt payments, and (2) has sufficient cash flow for ongoing and upcoming operational expenses . (See Financial management and Financial planning and analysis .) Public finance describes finance as related to sovereign states, sub-national entities, and related public entities or agencies. It generally encompasses

2275-527: The company head office was now located at 3 Princess Way in Redhill, Surrey, just adjacent to the Warwick Quadrant. Lombard was one of the town's biggest employers and remained so for a number of years. In February 2000, National Westminster Bank was acquired by The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and two of RBS' subsidiaries, RoyScot Trust and Royal Bank Leasing, were merged into Lombard. RBS Group

2340-740: The company, seeing huge potential. Prudential remained a major shareholder for the next thirty years and Guthrie, an entrepreneur knighted in 1936, transformed the business through acquisition and organic growth. After the Second World War, and nationalisation of the railways, the company moved more into financing cars and consumer durables. During the beginning of the 1950s, the North Central Wagon and Finance Co diversified by partnering with merchant bankers Seligman Brothers . By 1958, banks began to acquire links with hire purchase companies, and National Provincial Bank bought out

2405-504: The company. After the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank in 1968, North Central Finance became a subsidiary of the new National Westminster Bank . Lombard Banking was taken over by National Westminster Bank in 1970. From its origins in 1946, Lombard Banking had developed hire purchase activities and become one of the largest finance houses in the United Kingdom. In 1971, Lombard Banking and North Central Finance were merged to form Lombard North Central. Lombank Canada

2470-461: The economy. Development finance , which is related, concerns investment in economic development projects provided by a (quasi) governmental institution on a non-commercial basis; these projects would otherwise not be able to get financing . A public–private partnership is primarily used for infrastructure projects: a private sector corporate provides the financing up-front, and then draws profits from taxpayers or users. Climate finance , and

2535-672: The excess, intending to earn a fair return. Correspondingly, an entity where income is less than expenditure can raise capital usually in one of two ways: (i) by borrowing in the form of a loan (private individuals), or by selling government or corporate bonds ; (ii) by a corporation selling equity , also called stock or shares (which may take various forms: preferred stock or common stock ). The owners of both bonds and stock may be institutional investors —financial institutions such as investment banks and pension funds —or private individuals, called private investors or retail investors. (See Financial market participants .) The lending

2600-510: The field is referred to as quantitative finance and / or mathematical finance, and comprises primarily the three areas discussed. The main mathematical tools and techniques are, correspondingly: Mathematically, these separate into two analytic branches : derivatives pricing uses risk-neutral probability (or arbitrage-pricing probability), denoted by "Q"; while risk and portfolio management generally use physical (or actual or actuarial) probability, denoted by "P". These are interrelated through

2665-416: The field. Quantum finance is an interdisciplinary field, in which theories and methods developed by quantum physicists and economists are applied to solve financial problems. It represents a branch known as econophysics. Although quantum computational methods have been around for quite some time and use the basic principles of physics to better understand the ways to implement and manage cash flows, it

Lombard North Central - Misplaced Pages Continue

2730-410: The firm to the shareholders, the sources of funding and the capital structure of corporations, and the tools and analysis used to allocate financial resources. While corporate finance is in principle different from managerial finance , which studies the financial management of all firms rather than corporations alone, the concepts are applicable to the financial problems of all firms, and this area

2795-451: The first scholarly work in this area. The field is largely focused on the modeling of derivatives —with much emphasis on interest rate- and credit risk modeling —while other important areas include insurance mathematics and quantitative portfolio management . Relatedly, the techniques developed are applied to pricing and hedging a wide range of asset-backed , government , and corporate -securities. As above , in terms of practice,

2860-627: The flows of capital that take place between individuals and households ( personal finance ), governments ( public finance ), and businesses ( corporate finance ). "Finance" thus studies the process of channeling money from savers and investors to entities that need it. Savers and investors have money available which could earn interest or dividends if put to productive use. Individuals, companies and governments must obtain money from some external source, such as loans or credit, when they lack sufficient funds to run their operations. In general, an entity whose income exceeds its expenditure can lend or invest

2925-400: The foundation of business and accounting . In some cases, theories in finance can be tested using the scientific method , covered by experimental finance . The early history of finance parallels the early history of money , which is prehistoric . Ancient and medieval civilizations incorporated basic functions of finance, such as banking, trading and accounting, into their economies. In

2990-712: The fundamental risk mitigant here, investment managers will apply various hedging techniques as appropriate, these may relate to the portfolio as a whole or to individual stocks . Bond portfolios are often (instead) managed via cash flow matching or immunization , while for derivative portfolios and positions, traders use "the Greeks" to measure and then offset sensitivities. In parallel, managers — active and passive — will monitor tracking error , thereby minimizing and preempting any underperformance vs their "benchmark" . Quantitative finance—also referred to as "mathematical finance"—includes those finance activities where

3055-506: The heart of investment management is asset allocation — diversifying the exposure among these asset classes , and among individual securities within each asset class—as appropriate to the client's investment policy , in turn, a function of risk profile, investment goals, and investment horizon (see Investor profile ). Here: Overlaid is the portfolio manager's investment style —broadly, active vs passive , value vs growth , and small cap vs. large cap —and investment strategy . In

3120-444: The last few decades to become an integral aspect of finance. Behavioral finance includes such topics as: A strand of behavioral finance has been dubbed quantitative behavioral finance , which uses mathematical and statistical methodology to understand behavioral biases in conjunction with valuation. Quantum finance involves applying quantum mechanical approaches to financial theory, providing novel methods and perspectives in

3185-423: The late 19th century, the global financial system was formed. In the middle of the 20th century, finance emerged as a distinct academic discipline, separate from economics. The earliest doctoral programs in finance were established in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, finance is also widely studied through career -focused undergraduate and master's level programs. As outlined, the financial system consists of

3250-427: The latter, as above, are about optimizing the overall financial structure, including its impact on working capital. Key aspects of managerial finance thus include: The discussion, however, extends to business strategy more broadly, emphasizing alignment with the company's overall strategic objectives; and similarly incorporates the managerial perspectives of planning, directing, and controlling. Financial economics

3315-477: The people he encountered. He also appeared in the first series of the UK comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? . Reitel also appeared in a number of BBC radio comedy programmes in the 1980s, including Dial M For Pizza and the radio adaptation of the cartoon strip The Fosdyke Saga . In 2001, he appeared in a short film called Coconuts with Michael Palin , in which they did a demonstration on how coconuts can be used in place of horses. This film can be seen on

SECTION 50

#1732797332571

3380-444: The present using the weighted average cost of capital for the discount factor. For share valuation investors use the related dividend discount model . Financial theory is studied and developed within the disciplines of management , (financial) economics , accountancy and applied mathematics . Abstractly, finance is concerned with the investment and deployment of assets and liabilities over "space and time"; i.e., it

3445-409: The purchase of stock , either individual securities or via a mutual fund , for example. Stocks are usually sold by corporations to investors so as to raise required capital in the form of " equity financing ", as distinct from the debt financing described above. The financial intermediaries here are the investment banks . The investment banks find the initial investors and facilitate the listing of

3510-749: The rate of 20 percent per year. By 1200 BCE, cowrie shells were used as a form of money in China . The use of coins as a means of representing money began in the years between 700 and 500 BCE. Herodotus mentions the use of crude coins in Lydia around 687 BCE and, by 640 BCE, the Lydians had started to use coin money more widely and opened permanent retail shops. Shortly after, cities in Classical Greece , such as Aegina , Athens , and Corinth , started minting their own coins between 595 and 570 BCE. During

3575-724: The related Environmental finance , address the financial strategies, resources and instruments used in climate change mitigation . Investment management is the professional asset management of various securities—typically shares and bonds, but also other assets, such as real estate, commodities and alternative investments —in order to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of investors. As above, investors may be institutions, such as insurance companies, pension funds, corporations, charities, educational establishments, or private investors, either directly via investment contracts or, more commonly, via collective investment schemes like mutual funds, exchange-traded funds , or REITs . At

3640-413: The relationships suggested.) The discipline has two main areas of focus: asset pricing and corporate finance; the first being the perspective of providers of capital, i.e. investors, and the second of users of capital; respectively: Financial mathematics is the field of applied mathematics concerned with financial markets ; Louis Bachelier's doctoral thesis , defended in 1900, is considered to be

3705-596: The second disk of the collector's edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail . He played the lead role in the 2007 film Trust Me , a comedy about a pair of con men. Reitel was the second choice to play Del Boy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses (behind Jim Broadbent aka Roy Slater in the series), but was busy with other projects (the role ultimately went to David Jason ). He also played two roles in different episodes of long-running sitcom One Foot in

3770-475: The securities, typically shares and bonds. Additionally, they facilitate the securities exchanges , which allow their trade thereafter, as well as the various service providers which manage the performance or risk of these investments. These latter include mutual funds , pension funds , wealth managers , and stock brokers , typically servicing retail investors (private individuals). Inter-institutional trade and investment, and fund-management at this scale ,

3835-707: The simple title of Lombard. Lombard Direct was launched as a telephone loans service for personal customers. Lombard Corporate Finance was also created, developing new leasing products for sectors such as films, aviation, maritime, technology and private finance. At the end of 1998, Lombard secured its biggest deal to date, winning a bid to finance the purchase of 78 trains for Virgin Rail Group worth over £395 million. The business now specialised in distinct market segments, Lombard in asset finance for businesses, Lombard Direct in direct personal finance, and Lombard Banking Services in banking for overseas clients. At this time,

3900-623: The three areas of personal finance, corporate finance, and public finance. These, in turn, overlap and employ various activities and sub-disciplines—chiefly investments , risk management, and quantitative finance . Personal finance refers to the practice of budgeting to ensure enough funds are available to meet basic needs, while ensuring there is only a reasonable level of risk to lose said capital. Personal finance may involve paying for education, financing durable goods such as real estate and cars, buying insurance , investing, and saving for retirement . Personal finance may also involve paying for

3965-446: The use of interest. In Sumerian, "interest" was mas , which translates to "calf". In Greece and Egypt, the words used for interest, tokos and ms respectively, meant "to give birth". In these cultures, interest indicated a valuable increase, and seemed to consider it from the lender's point of view. The Code of Hammurabi (1792–1750 BCE) included laws governing banking operations. The Babylonians were accustomed to charging interest at

SECTION 60

#1732797332571

4030-635: The various positions held by the institution—both trading positions and long term exposures —and on calculating and monitoring the resultant economic capital , and regulatory capital under Basel III . The calculations here are mathematically sophisticated, and within the domain of quantitative finance as below. Credit risk is inherent in the business of banking, but additionally, these institutions are exposed to counterparty credit risk . Banks typically employ Middle office "Risk Groups" , whereas front office risk teams provide risk "services" (or "solutions") to customers. Additional to diversification ,

4095-1370: Was also the voice of Billy the ventriloquist dummy in James Wan's movie Dead Silence . He also provided voice performance for the audiobook of the sixth book in Eoin Colfer 's Artemis Fowl series, The Time Paradox . Reitel also provided the voice for Delvin Mallory in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the Wizard Zabodon in The Big Knights . He also provided the voice of Ost Ordura in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Telltale Series . He also played Male Altmer and Dunmer in The Elder Scrolls Online . He also provided voices of The Time Keeper in Skylanders: Swap Force , Laufey in Hulk and

4160-458: Was formed as a subsidiary of Lombard Banking in 1955. In 1975, it became Lombard NatWest Canada and the following year the share capital passed from Lombard North Central to National Westminster Bank and it was renamed NatWest Canada . Lombard Banking had also been active in Malta since 1955, accepting deposits through agents. Lombard Bank (Malta) was established in 1969 and divested in stages to

4225-793: Was renamed NatWest Group in 2020. Lombard Manx Leasing Limited (trading as Lombard Gibraltar), Lombard Manx Limited (Isle of Man) and Lombard Finance (CI) Limited (Jersey and Guernsey) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Lombard North Central. Lombard launched Lombard Direct as a personal finance brand in 1995, initially as a telephone loans service. Lombard Direct provided loans within the limit of £800 to £15,000, and became known for their advertising featuring an animated anthropomorphic talking blue telephone (voiced by Enn Reitel ). In August 2009, Lombard Direct discontinued writing new personal loans, and closed to new business. Lombard have sponsored various sporting events and athletes, including rowing champions Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent , who represented

#570429