MortgagesJun 3 2015

Building society launches dedicated broker brand

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Building society launches dedicated broker brand

Ipswich Building Society has launched a dedicated broker brand and new online proposition, following extensive market research.

A specialised website has been created, along with exclusive events for brokers in the East of England, as the next step in a strategy that has seen the society’s return to lending after an extensive IT transformation in 2014.

Feedback was collated from face to face interviews between an independent researcher and brokers, as well as a survey of intermediaries via email.

The findings concluded that brokers value the ability of lenders to meet the needs of a diverse group of clients; they want fast and consistent turn-around times as well as clarity on the progress of their cases; and are appreciative of the opportunity to meet with senior members of the lender’s management team.

Michelle Stevens, head of mortgage sales, commented that having established that intermediaries want to work with lenders who can meet the needs of a broad range of clients, often with unusual circumstances, the society looked again at how best to marry broker needs with its focus on ‘mortgage misfits’.

“Brokers who work with us will benefit from our manual approach to underwriting, which allows us to handle more complex cases, particularly those involving older borrowers, the self-employed, self-builders and applicants facing life changes.”

Paul Winter, Ipswich’s chief executive, added: “We understand that brokers need to know what’s what with their cases, so our underwriting and admin teams have been working hard to review our processes, making sure these are as consistent as possible and that for every interaction with a broker they’ll be clear on exactly what is happening with their cases.”

peter.walker@ft.com