Whilst being compared to James Bond isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence, being an AMC Agent is synonymous with the ability to calculate risk in volatile situations. Highly experienced and professional, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC) has been a specialist lender in the agricultural sector for over 90 years and the national group of AMC Agents are invaluable as the point of contact with farmers and landowners, alongside the AMC Regional Area Managers.
I joined the AMC family in 2012 and my Associate Partner, Harriet Jones, has recently joined the throng. Being an Agent offers diversity in my day-to-day job and I like the ability to offer such flexible and varied finance to the rural sector. The unique selling points of AMC, such as long-term 30 year lending and rates which can be set for the life of the agreement, have always made them stand out from other lenders.
Being an AMC Agent is not quite like being a 00 Agent but it is rewarding! In the first instance, it’s being the point of contact between the borrower and AMC. This can be a new lending enquiry, variation to existing security or changing the terms of the current loan. Assisting with a new application can pose many challenges, including the assessment of financial accounts and relating them back to the farming enterprise, and then putting forward a reasoned explanation for the proposed loan. All farming enterprises are different and need to be assessed on individual business merits. An AMC Agent needs to have a solid and comprehensive understanding the farming sector whilst retaining the ability to succinctly convey this message to the credit department within AMC.
In recent times, I have been involved with a wide range of projects, some of which include:
£100k loan for a new farming expansion building
£1.2m offer to facilitate the purchase of a farm
£120k loan for improvement to an existing farming asset
£600k loan for the purchase of a farm at auction
AMC are also strong supporters of on-farm diversification projects, particularly those which complement the existing farming enterprise. A few years ago, I wrote a case study article for AMC on tourism pods (a project they supported). As part of the article, a professional photographer was required and somewhere in the AMC archives there will be photographic evidence of a nervous young man (most definitely not James Bond!) trying to look photogenic. Following expert guidance from colleagues Mike Taylor and Bob Oakes, together with continuous AMC training, I am now somewhat older and hopefully wiser.