Parity Trust began trading in July 2000 after research showed that many residents of Portsmouth and surrounding areas did not have access to a bank account or mainstream credit facilities. The organisation was launched with capital funding from the Governments’ Single Regeneration Budget and revenue funding from Portsmouth Housing Association, The Big Lottery Fund and Lloyds TSB. Initally offering small unsecured personal loans to those struggling to access mainstream finance, the organisation now provides secured loans, across a much wider area than Portsmouth and surrounding towns. Our core product / loans can be used for home repairs and adaptations and we also offer a mortgage extension product whereby people can access finance to repay an interest only mortgage which is coming to term, but there is no repayment vehicle in place. Parity Trust also works alongside Community Land Trusts by providing shared ownership mortgages and financial assessments for potential applicants, in order to help people get on to the property ladder in their local area.