How many brokers and broker firms do you cover in your role?
Foundation Home Loans’ products are only available via a select panel of distributors. I manage eight of these distributors, located around London and the Home Counties.
How do you successfully organise and deal with business on a daily basis?
I’m a ‘to do list’ man. If it’s not written down I forget it. Therefore broker meetings, broker case enquiries, internal actions all get written down and prioritised so that both internal and external relationships are maintained to a high standard.
What issues come up time and time again?
No day as a BDM is ever the same, however the priority for the lender, the intermediary and the borrower is to have the mortgage application achieve completion on the correct date. BDMs are often asked to intervene and ensure the smooth progression of a case.
What do you wish brokers understood about your job?
That my golf handicap of 19 is real, I don’t just spend all day at corporate events! Sadly, lenders can’t lend to every borrower.
What do you think is the most important attribute in a good BDM?
Returning phone calls. Not everyone does. Criteria knowledge, competitor knowledge and an understanding of the pressures faced by intermediaries really helps cement a good business relationship.
When you’re unavailable to contact via telephone, what’s the second-best way for brokers to get in touch?
Simply call our mortgage processing team or underwriters on 0344 770 8032.
If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry?
I started in the industry in 2003, when regulation was more relaxed than it is now. The industry does need strong regulation, however I see that regulation changes seem to get drip-fed into the market in the build-up to a delivery date. The industry needs clear notice of changes and how they will directly affect intermediaries, lenders and borrowers. Not sure how I would achieve that in one day however.
What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career?
As a BDM, your performance is easily measured and I am motivated by achieving the goals and targets set for me. The role allows you to add real value to an intermediary’s business, progress the successes of a lender, and form rewarding relationships with customers and colleagues.
How do you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers?
In my opinion you need to stand out from the crowd because intermediaries are inundated with lender representatives. Therefore, an understanding of the intermediary’s business is key. You need to understand what influences where they submit their business and then ensure the customer experience they receive is better than your competitor’s.
And how do you establish and maintain good relationships internally?
BDMs can carry the label as someone who ‘only rings when they want something’ or to question underwriting decisions. The key to maintaining a good internal relationship is to ensure you understand the role of the staff, the pressures they are under and that they understand your responsibilities to both the lender and the intermediary.
What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
I had a four-year break from financial services and worked in film and television. Some of the questions asked in that industry make for quite a discussion!
And finally, what did you want to be growing up?
Successful at whatever challenge I undertook. Ok, that sounds very generic, let’s go with playing centre forward for Spurs, pro golfer, Harlequins Captain and Aston Martin test driver.
