Mortgage Solutions spoke to chief executive Stephanie Charman about what the changes mean for the AMI and the advisers it represents.
Q: The AMI remains the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries. What message are you hoping to convey with the addition of ‘Advice Mortgage Insurance’ to the brand?
Stephanie Charman (SC): This is very much an evolution, not a revolution. AMI remains the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and continues to represent mortgage and protection advisers across the UK. What we’ve done is take a step back and ask ourselves whether the way we present ourselves fully reflects who we are today, who we represent and the role of advice itself as it adapts to reflect a changing market.
I felt it was a good time to revisit how AMI is positioned, given the direction of travel in our industry. We are seeing rapid developments in technology and artificial intelligence, consumer needs are becoming ever more complex and the advice landscape is evolving.
At the same time, AMI has become increasingly active in the protection sector. This year, we will run our seventh annual Protection Viewpoint survey, which has become one of the industry’s most respected pieces of research. Mortgages are often the trigger for protection conversations and, with the Financial Conduct Authority’s ongoing work through the Pure Protection Market Study, alongside our own long-standing engagement with the regulator and ambition to work even more closely with protection advisers in future, now feels like the right time to recognise that more explicitly.
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The three words at the heart of the refreshed brand – Advice, Mortgages, Insurance – reflect the reality of what many advisers do every day. They recognise the importance of professional advice, the central role mortgages continue to play and the growing significance of protection in delivering good consumer outcomes.
Importantly, we’re still AMI. We’re not abandoning what has made the organisation successful; we believe now is the right time to build on it.
Q: Is this a response to regulatory change and the FCA’s work around the advice boundary?
SC: The regulatory landscape is evolving and it’s right that the industry engages constructively with those discussions.
Our role has always been to champion the value of professional advice and to ensure policymakers, regulators and stakeholders understand the important role advisers play in delivering good consumer outcomes.
This evolution is not a reaction to any single policy change. It’s about promoting the importance of advice. We know that advice helps consumers navigate complexity, make informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.
Whatever changes come in the future, AMI will continue to engage positively, provide evidence and make the case for advice and access to advice.
Q: Some people might ask whether this was really necessary. What would you say to them?
SC: I would say this is about clarity rather than change.
AMI is a well-established and respected organisation. We had no desire to move away from that. But organisations need to ensure they continue to reflect the sectors they represent and the environment in which they operate. The refreshed brand helps explain more clearly what AMI stands for today and the breadth of expertise within our membership.
Q: You’ve often spoken about collaboration and bringing people together across the sector. Does this reflect that too?
SC: Absolutely. One of the things I’ve been passionate about since becoming chief executive is creating an organisation that listens, collaborates and works constructively with advisers, lenders, regulators, government and other stakeholders.
The inclusion of ‘Insurance’ within the refreshed brand is not about broadening our focus at the expense of mortgages. It’s about recognising that mortgage and protection advice work best together. Protection should be part of every mortgage conversation.
That means greater collaboration between mortgage advisers and protection advisers, between lenders and advisers and across the wider industry.
Greater collaboration strengthens the customer journey and ultimately leads to better consumer outcomes. This evolution strengthens what we do rather than diluting it.
Q: The new strapline is ‘Championing Advice, Shaping the Future’. Why did you choose those words?
SC: Because they capture exactly what we’re here to do.
‘Championing Advice’ speaks directly to our core mission. We believe consumers achieve better outcomes when they have access to professional advice, support and guidance, and we have a responsibility to champion that value at every opportunity.
The market is at something of a crossroads. Regulation is changing and we are seeing the greatest technological advances in a generation. Artificial intelligence is creating exciting opportunities, but also important questions for our profession.
‘Shaping the Future’ reflects the role we want to play. We need to keep one eye firmly on the future and play a collaborative role in helping shape positive consumer outcomes.
Our responsibility is not simply to respond to change, but to help influence it. That means engaging constructively with regulators, government, lenders and the wider industry to ensure advisers continue to play a central role in delivering good outcomes for consumers.
Q: Finally, what would you like members to take away from this?
SC: I’d like them to see it as a reflection of who we are and the value we deliver. We’re still the same organisation, with the same commitment to representing advisers and supporting better consumer outcomes. What has changed is that we’re expressing that purpose more clearly and more confidently.
Advice. Mortgages. Insurance. Three words that capture what our members do today and the future we’re helping to build together, while ‘Championing Advice, Shaping the Future’ reflects the role we intend to play on their behalf.
