Specialist Mortgage lending can be time consuming, complicated and not what a broker wants to deal with

What do you do with your declined mortgage applications?

At Norton Broker Services, we want to ensure we have all aspects of the residential market covered. Our Mortgage department has some of Norton Finance and Mortgages most experienced members of staff.

The department is overseen by Mortgage Manager Mel Whiting. Mel looks after a team of 8 Mortgage Advisers and 5 Mortgage Administrators, who work from a wide panel of lenders to ensure all your clients’ needs are met.

Today we sit down with Steve Broomhead (Mortgage Adviser) and 16 year veteran Amy Lister (Mortgage Administrator) and take a look at their roles and thoughts on why you should choose Norton Finance and Mortgages.

As one of the most experience members of staff in your department how long have you worked for Norton’s and how did your journey begin?

Steve: I have been in the industry for over 15 years now, and this being my 2nd time working for Norton’s having a brief spell with the DWP around the time of the Credit Crunch, but when the opportunity came to come back, I jumped at the chance and have been with Norton’s for over 10 years in total and winning employee of the year in 2018 has been a highlight of my journey so far.

Amy: I started at Norton Finance 16 years ago as a general assistant until Julie Gregory now Head of Compliance, took me under her wing, 6 months later I was on the mortgage department. I have been underwriting mortgages ever since and have won 2 mortgage awards throughout my career within company.

Describe your typical working day?

Steve: Each day is different but always busy with new and existing enquires, very often these are niche and take more time to deal with. I spend a lot of time liaising with clients, ensuring I do the upmost to get them the best product relating to their needs. This also includes liaising with lenders BDMS and dealing with regulatory processes.

Amy: I have my own client base where I process their applications from start to finish which entails liaising with lenders, solicitors & other 3rd parties. I update my clients throughout the application process to ensure they receive the best service possible. My workload changes on a daily basis & I am always prepared to face the day ahead. Applications to date require more knowledge & underwriting skills to process so I am always challenged with something new which keeps me on my toes & helps me to become the best of best.

What do you enjoy most about your role within the Mortgage Team?

Steve: I enjoy working as part of the team, having some great people around me which has created a strong team spirit. I deal with a lot of complex deals and there is a lot of satisfaction that comes with getting the right outcome for all my customers especially on the deals where the initial thought is this may not be possible.

Amy: Working within the mortgage department is like working with family, It also makes it easier when you have a fab boss!
The most rewarding feeling is customer satisfaction. I have a high level of excellent customer satisfaction surveys over the years which makes the job more rewarding for me.

What’s the biggest change you’ve seen within the industry since working as an adviser?

Steve: The biggest change was when the credit crunch happened which led to the ongoing regulatory changes and in turn the changes to the criteria made by many lenders, and more recently the new PRA Guidelines around Buy to Let.

Amy: Seeing lenders and brokers pull out of the market whilst we worked through the credit crunch is the biggest change for me and you can certainly see the effect it has left on the industry.

Why do you think brokers benefit from having access to Norton Finance and Mortgages?

Steve: We are specialist in our area, we can cover all bases where we have the expertise and knowledge to place the more difficult deals that don’t fit with the high street. We have a panel of lenders, designed to assist and deal with the more complex cases. This can save the broker time as these deals are often time consuming allowing them to deal with simpler cases including add on products IE Life and pensions etc.

Amy: The credit crunch had a massive impact on the mortgage market this then made lenders tightened up their criteria which made it very difficult for brokers in particular to get a deal through!
Also as the years have gone by technology has improved so going from old school paper based applications to online submission portals made a big change within my job role the fax machines have become extinct!

A questions more for you Steve, what type of products to you think we’ll be seeing more of in the future?

Steve: I think we will see more lending into retirement products. Some lenders have already started to increase the ages along with retirement interest only products so I expect this area along with general lifetime products to grow. Also with the increase in company owned BTL’s I also expect to see more products available for this area.