FTAdviser.com

Advertising

Simone Bhatti, PR manager of Bradford & Bingley, said following a detailed review, the lender opted to reduce the number of mortgage advisers it currently had to 40.

She said this was not a decision the lender had taken lightly, but as a prudent business Bradford & Bingley had to ensure it had the right resources in the right place.

Bhatti said: "We have found an increasing number of customers prefer to deal with advisers on the telephone.

"In areas where demand for face-to-face mortgage advice is low and we cannot sustain the branch having a dedicated branch-based mortgage adviser, another mortgage adviser will either cover the branch or the customer will be referred to one of our experienced telephony mortgage advisers.

"We are confident that we will continue to provide our retail customers with the high level of service they require. For those advisers affected, we do hope to find as many as possible alternative roles within the group."