SANTANDER has appointed banking sector veteran Nick Peet to head its real estate operations in Scotland where the company sees opportunities for growth in the sector.

The company said it is committed to building on its support for firms in Scotland after providing a total of £270m debt for more than 50 commercial property deals in the country in 2014 to date.

Santander said it is one of the only banks to have consistently grown its real estate lending in UK for each of the past five years, supporting new and existing commercial property clients.

Mr Peet will bring 20 years experience of banking to his new position. Before joining Santander's real estate team in 2012 he worked for Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank.

His responsibilities will also include leading the real estate unit in Northern Ireland and North East England.

Mr Peet will lead a 14-strong team working from five corporate business centres across Scotland, Northern Ireland and North East England.

Santander has corporate business centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Mr Peet said: "Santander Corporate & Commercial has established itself as a major supporter of the Real Estate sector and we are committed to building long-lasting relationships with our customers and helping them grow and prosper."

Santander's activity in Scotland this year has included providing £3m funding for the Deanway Muir venture to develop an 83-bed hotel in Perth.

The bank provided £5.45m funding for Australia's RF Capital PTY when it purchased an office development in Edinburgh.