A new business development team has been launched by Yorkshire Bank’s Bradford-based West Yorkshire Financial Solutions Centre as it steps up support for businesses.

The team will target businesses with turnovers of between £5 million and £50 million in Calderdale, Kirklees, Bradford and the Aire Valley.

The move is part of the bank’s commitment to lend a further £2 billion to businesses in the region in the next two years.

The team is being led by senior partner Keith Ollier and comprises business partners Michael Bee, Phil Shearstone, Ian Mason, who recently joined from Fortis Bank, and associate Ibrar Hussain.

Mr Ollier said: “Yorkshire Bank is proud to have supported businesses throughout the credit crunch when many banks were not lending.

“We have launched this new team so that we can continue to identify trading businesses which require support in West Yorkshire.

“Emergence from recession poses many challenges for trading businesses and this new specialist team wants to ensure that the right help is available to the right businesses so that they can create jobs and prosper as the economy improves.”

Yorkshire Bank’s West Yorkshire FSC, Canal Road, which also covers Kirklees and Calderdale, has 45 staff in multi-discipline teams covering corporate banking, private wealth management, treasury services and credit and operates a traditional method of banking with funding from deposits used to support investments in the local community.