The intermediary arm of Yorkshire Building Society said the move created a more efficient process for brokers by reducing the number of documents requested, offering direct access to underwriters to discuss cases and reduce processing times.

Completion of the training is currently being carried out in Accord’s Bradford and Lynch Wood offices that deal with owner-occupier loans. Accord said it is currently reviewing whether to carry out the changes at its Newport office which processes buy-to-let loans.

Previously, case managers had access to the initial stage of mortgage applications focussed on data input. The changes mean the role of case manager has been scrapped across the majority of its business so that underwriters have control of the whole case and can assess risk from the beginning.

Accord has also created 36 new jobs at the business by recruiting new underwriters to the team.

A spokeswoman for Accord said: “We’re aiming by the middle of the year to have a team of 90 fully trained underwriters working on residential mortgages. The whole point is to take a common-sense approach to lending decisions with underwriters owning a case from start to finish and brokers having direct access to underwriters throughout the whole process. We want to minimise any work for brokers so that the service is faster and more efficient.”

Robbyn Woolley, previously a case manager at Accord and now underwriting team manager, said that the training has helped staff assess the risk of accepting cases that do not meet Accord’s standard lending criteria.

“The idea was to change that mindset and look at why we have policy in place, while enabling us to look at things that are not quite within the black and white criteria within which we normally accept cases,” she said.

“By having a better approach to underwriting and understanding our cases fully there are now situations where we can look at disregarding requests for proof of residency by assessing the credit file. So you’re already requesting less documentation from the broker than you would have done in what we class as ‘old world’.”

Wooley added that underwriters would now have direct communication with intermediary partners to explain the documents required and any reasons behind requesting something that might appear out of the ordinary.

She said: “It’s the underwriter’s responsibility to keep in touch with the intermediary throughout the process and we are finding that we’re getting much better feedback from brokers already. From my own personal experience, you’re on more of a level with the broker and if we’re requesting something on a more complex case you can build a relationship and have more of a discussion about possible options.”