TMA’s January Distribution Indicator focused on DA’s attitudes to and activity within the packaging arena. When asked the question; do you agree with AToM’s recent claim that the packaging market has turned a corner with lenders beginning to increase their appetite to lend through packagers once more, 48% believed the statement to be true.
15% said that maybe the sector has turned the corner whilst the remaining 37% expressed the view that they didn’t think the statement was correct.
Results from the survey also found that 41% of respondents thought that the services offered by packagers are relevant in the current mortgage market when helping to place non-standard deals. A third (33%) was unsure regarding their relevancy in the current market and 26% stated they didn’t believe that packagers were in a position to help them place non-standard deals.
When posing the question of whether DA’s had actually used the services of a packager in the past three to six months 56% said that they had not whilst 44% revealed that they had utilised such a facility.
The TMA Distribution Indicator is part of a strategic gathering of feedback and views in regard to current market conditions undertaken by the TMA mortgage desk. A cross section of extensive interviews takes place over the course of a month and the responses are gathered to highlight any potential fears, opening or developments in the market which TMA will look to address in the future.
Phil Whitehouse, Head of TMA, commented:
“It’s interesting that we have seen quite a bit of press coverage recently regarding specialist distributors and it appears that some of the confidence exhibited in this area of the market is rubbing off on DA’s.
"Not everyone will be comfortable using packagers but what is clear is that there is still very much a place for packagers in the modern mortgage market as intermediaries are continuing to struggle placing the growing number of non-standard borrowers who are failing lenders strict credit scoring.
"There are still specialist lenders out there with an appetite to lend through specialist distributors who can really help with complex applications and clients with non-standard criteria. And it is up to mortgage clubs such as TMA to continue helping members to ensure their clients have access to all the available deals.”
Dale Jannels, Sales & Marketing Director at AToM, responded:
“I was really pleased to see the results of the TMA survey and applaud Phil and his team for conducting it. The specialist packager/distributor market is once again rife with activity. Many may have diversified into different areas but the core basics have, in the main, remained.
"Packagers and distributors who have kept close and long term relationships with lenders are being rewarded with an increasing number of exclusive and semi-exclusive mortgage products. In addition, intermediaries are contacting us to request expert assistance in placing complex applications that the high streets and some credit scoring systems are turning away.
"This can only be a good thing for the end consumer. I strongly believe our sector has turned the corner and is on a growth spurt and it seems that this is backed up by 48% of those surveyed by TMA.”
