Yorkshire Building Society broker subsidiary Accord Mortgages is expanding its underwriting team with up to 10 underwriters and in total 25 new colleagues in the run up to the summer.
The underwriters started training this month, taking the number of underwriters currently dedicated to intermediaries to over 130 in total.
The lender said this ‘will help to improve a quick offer turnaround time as well as enhance lending decisions for brokers and their customers.’
Jeremy Duncombe, director of intermediary distribution at Accord, said: “We changed the way we process our mortgage applications two years ago giving our underwriters the autonomy to make lending decisions, as well as offering brokers direct access to our underwriters.
“This has received a positive response from intermediaries, and we’re seeing an increase in the amount of business brokers place with us. However, we recognise that it’s important not to rest on our laurels, so we’ve continued to invest in people to provide the best possible service to brokers.”
“We constantly listen to broker feedback and we know how important our principle-based underwriting decisions and direct underwriter access is. This allows us to enhance further streamline the experience for intermediaries.”
In March, Accord launched an online product transfer process offering access to all documentation and 90-day transfer offers. Brokers get a 0.30% retention fee on completion.
Victoria Hartley is contributing editor at Mortgage Solutions, Specialist Lending Solutions, Your Money and Your Mortgage at London-based publishing company AE3 Media.
She has an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths after gaining a 2:1 in a Comparative American Studies BA at Warwick University. She also holds a TEFL qualification and taught overseas in Mexico and Japan from 1994 to 1997.
Her role includes editorial oversight of the news, analysis and features, event content management and strategic and editorial consultancy for the AE3 Media group. She is an experienced video, broadcast and live-event host and regularly chairs web and podcast debates and interviews.
Multiple award nominations have resulted in two wins: Santander Media Awards, trade journalist of the year and Headlinemoney Awards, mortgage journalist of the year (B2B). Here is one of the award-winning pieces: https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2011/07/21/exclusive-tale-bailey-fraud-witness/
Previous roles include editorships of Mortgage Solutions, consumer title What Mortgage and trade title Credit Today as well as a stint freelancing for a variety of outlets including The Guardian and Which? Money.
