The new proposition, including a specialised website and a number of exclusive events for brokers in the East of England, was created following research into the needs of intermediaries and marks a step forward for the Society on its return to lending following the completion of an extensive IT transformation in 2014.
To ensure the proposition was fully aligned with broker needs, 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 they are appreciative of the opportunity to meet with senior members of the lender's management team.
Michelle Stevens, Head of Mortgage Sales, commented:
"Having established that intermediaries want to work with lenders who can meet the needs of a broad range of clients, often with unusual circumstances, we looked again at how best to marry broker needs with our own 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, CEO of Ipswich Building Society, added:
"This new proposition communicates our strengths in manual underwriting and in supporting the needs of mortgage misfits. 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."
