The adviser network invited lenders to tender in quarter 4 2014 and will include a panel of 25 lenders from 2 February, with the Bank of Ireland and TSB being added to the list.
Its tendering process looked at key aspects of lenders’ propositions and strategy including: product offering, underwriting criteria, historic service performance, technology, and distribution strategies.
Openwork also evaluated lenders’ recent and anticipated levels of lending production to ensure it selected organisations with a strong track record of delivering consistent volumes. Lenders with “exciting growth plans” were also chosen.
Paul Shearman, mortgage and proposition proposition director for Openwork (pictured), said: “The last 12 months have seen major changes in the market including new regulation, increased capacity, new lenders and a significant shift towards intermediaries. We felt the time was right to review all of our lender relationships with the aim of ensuring we were still delivering a best of class proposition to our advisers and in turn their customers.
“We now have a refreshed panel comprising lenders who recognise the value that Openwork provides and have been willing to commit to supporting us in areas such as exclusives, product design, differentiated service and marketing/sales support.”
