Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Friendship
Barron took a look at the other person and knew that he was Burris, the representative of North Rock Bank, which had issued a total loan of 5 million pounds to his family."Mr. Burris, if you hadn't interrupted me, I'm afraid I would have answered your question."
"In fact, I only care whether the loan from our bank can be recovered on time, Your Highness."
Facing the other party's gaze, Barron said coldly:
"If you only care about this matter, then Mr. Burris, you can leave now. What follows is likely to be a waste of your time..."
Burris from Northrock Bank was stunned by Barron's sudden order to leave. When he reacted and his face turned red, he was about to say something when he heard Barron say calmly:
"I can answer you right now that the loan will be repaid on time, and even before the end of the month. But I want to remind you that if you pay it off early, I won't pay the interest later."
Mr. Burris stood up, opened his mouth, and the few strands of hair on his head seemed to tremble. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said,
"We will wait for you to pay off the loan in advance, Your Highness!"
Then he left the study without looking back.
After Burris left, Barron looked at the remaining three gentlemen.
These representatives who can come here on behalf of their respective banks are naturally no rookies. Regardless of whether they are cunning or not, they are definitely very shrewd.
Before Burris left, these people just looked at each other, and then looked at Barron together, without any fluctuation in their eyes.
"Now, Your Highness, can you continue talking to us?"
The person who spoke was Rolf, a representative of Barclays Bank. From the introduction when they met just now, Barron knew that Rolf was in charge of the credit business in London area of Barclays Bank.
"Gentlemen, you may have seen or heard some reports and rumors about our family before. It is true that we encountered some minor troubles before, but they have all been resolved."
"Your Highness, has there been any progress in the case of the 'London Star'?"
As soon as Barron finished speaking, someone couldn't wait to ask.
"Unfortunately, those stupid London policemen didn't give me any surprises, if their low efficiency in handling cases is not a surprise..."
Barron's words caused everyone in the room to laugh knowingly.
"But apart from that, we have other sources of funding. You know, the Cavendish family has been passed down to this day, and it won't fall so easily."
After a pause, Barron said seriously,
"The main purpose of inviting you all here today, in addition to reassuring you that those loans are completely risk-free, is to select a partner for my future real estate projects."
"Can you tell me more about this, Your Highness?"
Hearing Barron's words, Rolf asked with interest.
"Because it involves certain commercial secrets, you need to show some sincerity..."
"What kind of sincerity?"
"You can choose to have us pay off the loan after it expires, or even pay it off in advance - of course, the interest will be waived; or you can choose to extend the loan term for us and have the opportunity to further discuss financing cooperation for this real estate project."
Barron shrugged and said,
"And you can rest assured that we will pay the interest on time during the extended loan period."
His words made the three gentlemen lose their composure and they all pondered the pros and cons of it.
Regardless of whether the so-called "real estate project" mentioned by His Royal Highness the Duke is reliable, based on the current situation, it seems more prudent to take back the loans that have been issued.
But is it really that simple? Is it possible to gain more by taking a little risk?
After all, the loans they issued were not lent out of thin air. They were all secured by real estate. Even if they were unable to repay the loan in the end, they could still recover the collateral. At most, it would be more troublesome to deal with the real estate.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but we still need to recover the loan first. We hope to have the opportunity to continue our cooperation in the future. Of course, you don't need to pay it off in advance, just return it on time."
After thinking for a moment, one of the bank representatives stood up, shook Barron's hand, and said this to him.
Obviously, this was a safer choice made by the other party.
Later, another bank representative made the same decision as him.
So after shaking hands with Barron, he left the study.
"Mr. Rolf, if you make the same decision, I can understand."
The last one left was the representative of Barclays Bank. He smiled and said to Barron,
"On the contrary, Barclays Bank cares more about its friendship with His Royal Highness the Duke. We can consider extending your loan period, but if I can learn more about the details of your real estate project, I believe I will be more confident in convincing the board of directors."
It has to be said that as one of the four largest private banks in the UK, and its loans account for more than half of the loans borne by the Duke of Devonshire's family, if Barclays Bank can extend the loan period, then Barron's interview today will be a success.
"Because this real estate project is still under planning, of course, we will have a frank discussion before your bank's most recent loan expires."
"That's absolutely no problem, Your Highness. Barclays Bank will always serve its customers wholeheartedly, especially you."
When saying goodbye to Rolf later, Barron stood at the study window, watching Rolf get into a car downstairs and leave, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
In fact, according to Barron's betting calculations, by the end of this Asahi World Cup, the funds he will be able to obtain will be enough to repay the debts borne by the family at this time - considering that these loans are due one after another, there will even be time to use part of the funds for investment.
So the reason why he took such action today and invited the representatives of these banks to meet in the study to discuss the issue of loan extension can be said to have a purpose.
On the one hand, if the loan can really be extended, Barron will have more funds for investment, so with his memories of his past life, he will get a richer return.
After all, whether it is international oil prices or gold prices, from now on, in the next few years, there will be a long-term upward channel. Knowing this trend, and facing these two investment products with super large circulation, the only thing he lacks is sufficient funds.
Not to mention that the Victorian gas tank plot near King's Cross Station that he hoped to develop would require a considerable amount of capital - although pre-sales of real estate were allowed in Britain, there were regulations on the payment time and proportion of the customer, and the full payment could not be received before the building was built or completed.
Therefore, for developers, developing commercial residential projects still requires them to have certain financial strength.
On the other hand, it was actually a test for Barron. He once suspected that Viscount Bute had other allies in some plot against his family. Was there any cooperation from the bank?
Therefore, when he revealed today that he hoped to seek financing from four banks in a subsequent "real estate project", Rolf, the representative of Barclays Bank who finally agreed, caught his attention.