WITH the fortunes of Scotland’s national rugby team on the up, it was no surprise to find former Hawick and Edinburgh Academicals player Graeme Hartop in ebullient form.

But the upbeat demeanour of the one-time Scotland schoolboy international, who is Twickenham bound today for the big clash with England, probably owed more to his satisfaction with life Hampden & Co, the private Edinburgh bank.

Mr Hartop, the chief executive, had been managing director of Scottish Widows Bank for a decade before linking up with former Adam & Co colleague Ray Entwistle when he set up Hampden in 2013. And the career banker is clearly relishing life at the boutique lender, which became a fully-licensed bank two years later, observing that it is “refreshing” to work for an institution focused on “high quality, traditional banking service.”

“It’s a very entrepreneurial business as well,” Mr Hartop said. “That really is something that is borne out in the culture of the staff we have. We know that success for us is going to be built around the service proposition that we provide to our clients, and getting our reputation out there for providing that. That has gone extremely well in the last 18 months.”

With its main office in Edinburgh’s well-heeled Charlotte Square, Hampden offers clients a full private banking service, underpinned by a current account and extending to lending, mortgages and foreign exchange. Since becoming the first bank to secure its licence under new start-up regulations, raising £62 million of capital from cornerstone investors after targeting £50m, it has steadily built up its client base. Customer numbers are now approaching 2,000.

Mr Hartop said Hampden, whose model is focused on bringing a personal touch to the relationship between client and banker, is primarily there for individuals who have “done well in life.” But equally it also seeks to provide a service to those closest to the client as well.

“We’ve got nearly 2,000 clients on board at this stage, and really the reception we have had from clients who are on board now is absolutely first class,” Mr Hartop said. “What we are already starting to see is a lot of those clients introducing us to their contact bases. They’re very keen to see their contacts utilising our services [as well].”

There is no shortage of clients who have knocked on Hampden’s door because the personal element is no longer there at the institutions they previously banked with, Mr Hartop said. Equally, the huge upheaval seen at the major banks also accounts for the steady flow of enquires Hampden receives from seasoned bankers who are looking for work. As well as Mr Entwistle and Mr Hartop, the senior team at Hampden includes head of banking Mark Prentice, formerly head of corporate banking at Lloyds Banking Group. With its overall headcount now approaching 70, across its offices in Edinburgh and London’s Dover Street, its team of banking directors includes such seasoned practitioners as Frank Hoskins, Malcolm King, Graeme Morris and David Bell. Mr Hartop said the bank will continue to add to its roster.

“There clearly have been a lot of issues in the bigger banks, and we have seen lots of headcount reductions [at those banks] across the piece,” he said. “That’s not just because of difficulties in the businesses. Part of it has also been technological changes coming through. That obviously has had an impact on views in these bigger banks. That’s why so many good quality staff are looking to join an organisation like us.”

Although job cuts and branch closures have been commonplace in UK banking since the financial crisis, Mr Hartop said the sector remains strong, notably in Edinburgh. That to a large extent is down to the emergence of challenger banks in the years since the big bailouts of 2008 and 2009.

“Not only have you got ourselves, you have got the likes of Virgin Money, Tesco Bank, Sainsbury’s Bank and Green Investment Bank, all increasing the size of [their] operations in Edinburgh,” he said.

“One of the reasons for that is because there is a great infrastructure for it, [and] you’ve got a well-educated population that can staff these institutions.”

Hampden could scarcely have emerged during more politically and economically charged times. Take Brexit. The decision by the Bank of England to cut interest rates to 0.25 per cent in the aftermath of the vote to leave the EU has not been cheered by any bank. But Mr Hartop, who does not expect rates to rise again until at least later in the year, said: “We are well set up to cope with the ultra-low rate environment. We’re building this bank for the long term, and as a consequence it [Brexit vote] has not had a major impact on us.”

While banks that operate across the EU have threatened to move jobs out of London ahead of Brexit, Mr Hartop said Hampden’s UK focus means the exit from the trading bloc should not hinder it unduly.

Moreover, he is not getting too worked up about the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence.

“As ever, you would need to adapt as the situation unfolded, but we are very strong on both sides of the Border and we will continue to be so,” Mr Hartop said.

Asked if Hampden would shift its head office permanently to London if Scotland was to vote to become independent, Mr Hartop replied: “We would need to look at any implications. It’s the kind of thing we are well placed as a business [to deal with].”