John Heron, chairman of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, said: “It’s impossible though not to be just a little alarmed at the potential the European dimension has to upset what is a very difficult balance.”

He added: “My first experience of lobbying at Brussels this year was in many ways a troubling one, it is very hard to see how a one-size-fits-all approach across the EU’s very different member states will not damage some markets for the dubious benefit of a minimum standard of protection,” he said.

He went on to hail 2011 as a ‘turnaround’ year for the industry body as he delivered his keynote speech at the IMLA annual dinner.

Heron spoke about the importance of bringing industry experts together to recognise the key role that intermediaries and intermediary lending play in the modern mortgage market.

Last year when funding was lacking, membership numbers were in decline and the relevance of IMLA in a post-crisis world was debatable, so last September, IMLA members made a positive commitment to get onto the front foot.

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He told the audience: “To focus on what we can do rather than what we cannot and to move forward positively accepting the challenges of the new environment.

IMLA set itself a number of targets, including working positively with government and regulators to shape policy, renew links with other trade associations particularly AMI and the CML, and to work together on the very many areas where we strongly agree and reduce the incidence of public disagreement.

IMLA wanted to grow its membership, focus on market and product issues and deliver better services for intermediaries and their clients and has been pleased with the results.

IMLA’s membership increased this year for the first time since 2007, he said, but added there is still some way to go.

“The most significant change in our market this year is the fact that lenders are open for business,” he continued.

“We have seen steady innovation around near prime, first-time buyers and buy-to-let, there are solutions available and the expansion of lenders and products reinforces the need for a strong and vibrant intermediary sector.

“What we now face is a crisis of confidence amongst consumers, it is not because they cannot get a mortgage that people are not buying homes, it’s because they feel too uncertain about the future on so many different levels.”

Heron closed his speech by thanking the IMLA board and explaining regulation would still be the key issue for the coming year.

Regulation will shape the future of the market as was intended and the roll out of the Mortgage Market Review will be a major theme in the year ahead, he said.