Mortgage Solutions exclusive columnist The Insider lays bare the reality of working in the repossessions department of a UK specialist lender.
I work for a non-standard mortgage lender – one of the ones that we all blame for making the rest of the UK live off dog food for the past three years. Although this one is a thoroughly respectable corporate entity and would therefore blanch at such a suggestion.
As a ‘responsible lender,’ it aims to look after its customers. I work in the bit that deals with customers who have fallen behind with payments so lots of hard-nosed, tough love, looking after is required.
The type of accounts I deal with can involve customers from the 1990s and customers in their 80s and 90s. Customers who are suicidal, terminally ill, a bit ill, annoyed and/or sometimes mentally unwell.
For example a recent account was owned by a mother and son who had both been in a secure unit for 15 years. I’d have loved to have been at that mortgage application interview.
Still it’s not all work, work, work. In the communal area where I sit, the highlight of yesterday was the pneumatically chested woman (who never smiles, even to put you at ease) declaring ‘I’ve learnt most of the countries in Europe. Although I don’t see why I should – I like Luton.’ I avoided eye contact.
My manager came over to discuss something important., so I had to hastily disguise my search for funny names on the company email directory – just in case you’re interested, Ekapol Bumpat and Ivana Sukova are my two crown jewels.
Only company directors get that rare treat of having an office to sit in. The rest of us sit open plan. My manager – a pug-faced, coffee swigging, Machiavellian chain smoker, who makes Bernie Madoff look scrupulous – sits reasonably nearby.
He wanted some mortgage charges data crunched. Were we charging people unfairly? As with most things it’s a case of yes, sometimes and no. I dutifully agreed to look into a collection of nightmarishly confusing data wibble.
Whilst destroying my funny name search, it did mean I can ignore the constant ‘we’re all going to get made redundant’ chitter chatter that is the default conversation in this company at the moment.
