In this week’s Mortgage Introducer Talk podcast, we meet Jess Rushton, who is head of business development at Smart Money People, a UK website that has over one-and-half-million reviews of financial services. It uses the data provided in those reviews – customer hindsight - to create better foresight, and therefore an improved service, going forward. “We cover both consumers and intermediaries in terms of lender feedback,” says Rushton. “And now we find that a lot of lenders actually use our service to collect broker feedback all year round. So, they’re very keen to understand what brokers wan ..read more

For this edition of Mortgage Introducer Talk, Simon Meadows meets Kharla Mullen, who is chief operating officer at Countrywide Surveying Services - which conducts valuations and surveys of properties for lenders and purchasers. Too many people are failing to protect themselves by neglecting to get a survey, Mullen says. She explains about the critical role that brokers can play in encouraging home buyers to become better informed about the property they are buying. 2024 has started encouragingly, Mullen shares, with data suggesting a busy period of property sales in January ..read more

In this edition of MI Talk, we chat with David Hollingworth, Associate Director of Communications at L&C Mortgages. He shares how he got into the mortgage business after studying law and working for a theatre management company. But, realising that his true interest lay in finance, Hollingworth became an adviser and, now in his current role, he regularly provides commentary on the UK market to media outlets. As borrowers seek to understand their options, he says, brokers can shine, providing advice that is key to customers getting through an extremely difficult time ..read more

For this edition of #MITalk, Mortgage Introducer ventures into the busy throng at the Mortgage Adviser Event in London; one of the profession’s key conferences. We get a sense of what it means for brokers and lenders to meet freely, face to face again en masse, post Covid lockdowns and post Truss/Kwarteng and that game-changing mini budget. So, expect lots of chat about the market currently…. Are there (finally) reasons to be cheerful? Guests: Fran Green from More2Life, Zahira Fayyaz from Market Financial Solutions, David Wheatley from Foundation Home Loans, and Joe Manns-Benson from Largemort ..read more

In the latest edition of #MITalk, Matthew Dilks, bridging and commercial specialist at Clever Lending, gives his take on the market currently and anticipates how it will evolve over the coming year. He shares how he started out in investment banking before starting his own brokerage. After taking a career break to become a full-time, stay-at-home dad, Dilks joined Clever Lending. He also reveals the highly active lifestyle he leads away from the world of financial services ..read more

Mortgage Introducer Talk meets John Jeffery, who is managing partner at later life lending specialist Senior Capital. An experienced statistician, Jeffery set up the business with his business partner Rudy Khaitan. He has some sage advice for brokers trying to maximise business. “It’s very simple economics,” Jeffery advises. “You need to be able to offer solutions, as many solutions, as wide a menu, as you can, to the people you distribute to. So, I would say focus on that because the drop down profitability from better conversion is 100%. It’s the best type of revenue you can generate ..read more

Against the backdrop of a volatile economy and rising interest rates, many first-time buyers are questioning whether they will ever be able to enter the property market. With the hurdles to entry only increasing, how can brokers help their clients to overcome the most common set-backs that stand between them and their dream home? Listen to the latest podcast for MI Talk as experts from Skipton Building Society and LSL Financial Services reveal key insights into the new build market. Gain essential insights across: - The current state of the market and challenges for first-time buyers - How to ..read more

For this edition of Mortgage Introducer Talk, we meet Melanie Spencer, who is business partnership & growth director at One Mortgage System, which is a market leader in mortgage technology and lender integration. Spencer reflects on her twenty year career in the mortgage industry, the way it has changed and become more inclusive for women and the mentorship, camaraderie and friendship she has found in the profession. She considers how she has tried to stay ‘ahead of the curve’ throughout her working life. “The world is your oyster in this industry,” Spencer enthuses ..read more

Joining us on the this edition of Mortgage Introducer Talk we have George Sanford, specialist broker at Vibe Specialist Finance. He enthuses about the wide variety of work that he does day to day and reflects on his working life so far, which he started as a builder, temporarily, before taking up a project management role with J. P. Morgan Chase. In his current role at Vibe, Sanford values the relationship building with others. “It’s such a crucial part of being a good broker is having that relationship with your clients and lenders and with the rest of the team,” he says ..read more

In this edition of #MITalk, Ajay Nayyar, Owner and Managing Director of Hearthstone Mortgages, describes how he combines his industry role with his work as an actor and award-winning film producer, plus why he believes the term broker doesn't truly reflect the role ..read more