The dedicated intermediary lender of the Co-operative Bank has held a series of nationwide ‘Platform Live’ events for its intermediary partners during 2011.
The interactive and thought-provoking sessions have been attended by more than 100 brokers at venues such as Bristol, Southampton, Reading and London, Manchester and Glasgow.
The 10th Live event was held in Newcastle this week.
Broker feedback from the events has now led to the lender making a number of enhancements.
These include:
- A new 'document upload' facility allowing brokers to provide client information directly to an underwriter
- Administration fees reduced from £140 down to £89
- A new range of 'Options' and 'Cashback' products based on broker feedback. The Options range offer no early repayment charges and overpayments without penalty
- The introduction of Let to Buy across Platform’s range of Buy to Let products
The events form part of Platform’s ongoing engagement with brokers and focus on supporting development of the intermediary sector.
This support has already seen the lender introduce a number of pledges based on the issues important to brokers, such as a commitment not to cross-sell or dual price.
Lee Gladwell, Business Development Director at Platform, said:
“The ‘Platform Live’ events have proven extremely popular with intermediaries as an opportunity to have a say in what they want from lenders.
“The changes we’ve made are a direct result of their feedback and show how we listen to the sector and respond by shaping our proposition in line with their needs.
“We’ll continue to look for ways to engage regularly with brokers to ensure we understand and respond to their issues and concerns.”
