Describe your firm in a few sentences
Sole trader, administrator and lover of mortgage advice. Wife and mother to two boys.
How long have you worked in UK financial services?
I started in 1988 at Leamington Spa Building Society, which sadly is just a memory now. It later became part of Bradford & Bingley, so, from age 21, I was a mortgage adviser there.
In 2006 I decided to leave and become self-employed. In the first year I doubled my annual salary and the rest is history, 18 years on.
Mortgage advising is about connections. If your clients don’t connect with you, they will look elsewhere
Why did you enter the profession and was it what you expected?
I was very young when I started. I followed my mum as she was a financial adviser. At that point there was little or no regulation on mortgages.
I also sat my CeMap and Financial Planning Certificate back in 1999, when I had a young spongy brain and loved the knowledge I gained from the industry. Back then I just felt I knew everything.
I then decided, after working for Bradford & Bingley, that enough was enough and it was time to set up on my own. In 2006 I started as a sole trader and that’s how I’ve remained to this day.
If you work for Halifax, you know Halifax’s policy. Let’s multiply that by 100 for a mortgage broker, and that is the power we bring to the process
At the time the profession was very male dominated, but that was also my winning formula. I instantly connected to people and loved every housebuyer’s journey.
You mention the industry in the 1980s. Has the mortgage sector benefited from increased regulation since then?
There has been significant change in the industry since I started; from advisers who used to do factfinds on the back of fag packets in the early 90s, to the professional markets we’re in today.
Progress has been steady. Mortgages became regulated back in 2004, followed by the Mortgage Market Review in 2014.
I followed my mum as she was a financial adviser. At that point there was little or no regulation on mortgages
In March 2016 we had the EU Mortgage Credit Directive covering second mortgages and consumer buy-to-lets. It is undoubtedly a good thing that consumers are better protected and that, as advisers, we are constantly held to account for the advice we give to clients.
Looking back over your years in the profession, what, if anything, would you have done differently?
I wish I had expanded earlier as I think I would now have a very successful business and I could have sold and retired earlier!
What might you have been if not a broker?
A midwife. The thought of helping to bring a baby into this world is mindblowing and to be part of that process would have been a huge privilege.
I still believe having a point-to-point contact is valuable, not just for new-business enquiries but to help when things go wrong
What do you think is the most under-rated skill as a broker?
Our knowledge of the markets. If you work for Halifax, you know Halifax’s policy. Let’s multiply that by 100 for a mortgage broker, and that is the power we bring to the process.
What is the best piece of business advice you have ever received?
‘People buy people first’. This was drummed into me when I worked at Bradford & Bingley. Mortgage advising is about connections. If your clients don’t connect with you, they will look elsewhere.
Also, I’m a big lover of watching body language and picking up on it. When I did a lot of face-to-face appointments, I would have the clients copying my body language within 15 minutes.
Having become self-employed, in the first year I doubled my annual salary
Also, never take anything for granted. Always strive to be a better version of what you were yesterday.
What single thing could lenders do to improve brokers’ lives the most?
I still believe having a point-to-point contact is valuable, not just for new-business enquiries but to help when things go wrong.
A few lenders have moved away from this model and I may be less inclined to use them for that reason.
If you would like your firm to be featured in Broker Focus, please email Mortgage Strategy deputy editor David Burrows at: [email protected]
This article featured in the May 2024 edition of MS.
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