Niche lender Verso is urging intermediaries to be prepared for increased mortgage business enquiries as the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has sent out clear signals of a rise in base rate. Eddie Smith, director of business development at Verso, said: ‘Although any rises are likely to be modest at the outset, they could cause a flood of enquiries into advisers, as buyers and those wishing to remortgage rush to pin down a fixed or capped rate as a hedge against future rises.’