I’ve been within the mortgage trade for greater than 30 years.
I labored at Northern Rock for 17 years as a enterprise growth supervisor (BDM), company account supervisor, northern divisional supervisor and head of specialist lending.
I moved to Nationwide in 2008 to arrange Nationwide for Intermediaries (NFI), the society’s first BDM salesforce. A pair of years later we merged the NFI and TMW gross sales groups into the dual-branded crew we now have in the present day.
As director of intermediary relationships, I lead the field-based and phone BDM groups, in addition to the company account, dealer operational and assist groups.
What is the primary premise of your position at Nationwide?
To lead the intermediary gross sales and dealer assist groups to supply the best potential stage of service to intermediaries throughout the nation.
Key to that is shut working relationships with our company account companions, excessive ranges of focused BDM exercise, and fast response occasions to queries and escalations.
Taking the place to begin that the mortgage market is working effectively for the time being, the regulator ought to concentrate on recent concepts to assist it operate extra successfully
Intermediary mortgage enterprise is extremely essential to Nationwide and TMW, so we’re very aware of having to keep up excessive requirements throughout all areas of our engagement with brokers.
What strikes is Nationwide making out there to enhance borrower entry to mortgage lending?
Nationwide has helped extra first-time consumers (FTBs) transfer into a brand new dwelling up to now monetary yr than some other lender. This contains lending underneath our Helping Hand proposition, which has helped many who’d have struggled to get onto the property ladder with out it.
We’ve additionally lately elevated our new-build most loan-to-value to 95%, in addition to prolonged our provide intervals, and we now have different constructive, propositional adjustments deliberate for this yr. Watch this area.
Trust your intuition and don’t fear about making a improper determination. But don’t make the identical mistake twice
With the Financial Conduct Authority’s Mortgage Rule Review dialogue paper introduced, though Nationwide welcomes the regulator’s evaluation into how the mortgage market can higher meet the wants of in the present day’s debtors, the FCA should be certain that it builds on the present successes of the market to assist folks purchase the house they want.
Taking the place to begin that the mortgage market is working effectively for the time being, the regulator ought to concentrate on recent concepts to assist it operate extra successfully.
What has been your largest skilled problem up to now, and a spotlight?
Closing down the specialist lending division at Northern Rock — shortly after it launched and was anticipated to be the subsequent huge factor — was tough. It was an unlucky sufferer of the credit score crunch.
The FCA shouldn’t be afraid to have a look at different regulators. An enhance within the circulation restrict could be our number-one ask to enhance the mortgage market
The spotlight must be having the chance to launch and lead Nationwide for Intermediaries. I’m lucky to have a unbelievable crew who’re genuinely obsessed with serving the intermediary neighborhood.
Is there something you’ll change in regards to the mortgage market?
The FCA shouldn’t be afraid to have a look at different regulators, with the Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) 15% circulation restrict on excessive loan-to-income lending the primary barrier to serving to FTBs. An enhance within the circulation restrict could be our number-one ask to enhance the mortgage market.
We’re very aware of having to keep up excessive requirements throughout all areas of our engagement with brokers
Due to the success of Helping Hand, Nationwide has to constrain lending to remain inside the restrict, but it surely could possibly be serving to much more FTBs. In many instances these are folks on common salaries, like nurses and academics.
Raising the cap from 15% to twenty% would allow Nationwide alone to lend to an additional 10,000 FTBs.
What is one of the best recommendation you will have obtained?
Trust your intuition and don’t fear about making a improper determination. But don’t make the identical mistake twice.
If you would do some other job, what wouldn’t it be?
I might have fancied being a courtroom solicitor, though it could have meant being a bit extra dedicated to working laborious in class than I truly was.
Company profile
Year established: 1884
Headcount: 18,000+
Address: Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon SN31TX
Website: Nationwide.co.uk
Nationwide is the world’s largest constructing society. It has over 17 million prospects, 16 million of whom have a present account, mortgage or financial savings product and are due to this fact members of the society.
This article featured within the July/August 2025 version of Mortgage Strategy.
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