Charity Bank in the North, the only regulated bank that is also a registered charity, was set up in 2007 by Yorkshire Forward and Charity Bank.

It uses its depositors' funds solely to provide loan finance to the charitable sector.

It has been helping charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

In March Calderdale Home Care Associates, a social enterprise due to open in August to give professional carer support, was awarded a £30,000 mix of loan and grant funding from Charity Bank in the North's partner, Key Fund.

It went towards the cost of buying the enterprise's office in Halifax and its IT equipment and to recruitment, training and employment costs.

In the past year, there have been around 550 cases where businesses have been helped –including loans and grants adding up to almost £3.5 million and business advisors giving one-to-one support.

The newly appointed senior manager of Charity Bank in the North is Malcolm Rogers, who lives in Halifax.

Mr Rogers was director of credit and risk at Alliance & Leicester and worked for financial institutions including the Halifax and Lloyds in a career spanning almost 30 years.

He said: "I'm very excited about having the chance to use my business, financial and training knowledge to help equip organisations in the region to maximise opportunities and become fit for the future."

The bank recently announced another successful year of growth, with deposits topping £40 million by the beginning of May 2009, while loans to charities and community projects grew to over £30 million in June.