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Exclusive: NatWest appoints Connolly as MD for home buying and ownership
NatWest has appointed Barry Connolly as the managing director of its mortgage business, Mortgage Solutions understands.
In his role as the managing director for home buying and ownership, Connolly will report to David Lindberg, CEO of retail banking for NatWest.
He takes over from Brad Fordham, who took on the role on an interim basis following the departure of Miguel Sard to Shawbrook.
The bank said that Fordham had “helped maintain the bank’s positive momentum” after Sard’s successful tenure and he will continue to support the bank’s mortgage distribution business for intermediary and organic channels.
Connolly has worked at NatWest for more than 21 years, and most recently led the everyday banking side of the bank’s retail banking offer.
This gave him oversight of current account delivery, as well as payment and savings propositions for 12 million customers across NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank.
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Prior to NatWest, he worked at National Australia Bank and Barclays.
Connolly said: “We’ve made great strides in improving the mortgage experience through our intermediary and direct channels and I’m excited about the further progress we can make in digital engagement.
“Mortgages are a vitally important area of focus for NatWest and I know there’s more we can do to support customers with one of the biggest purchase decisions that they’ll ever make.
“I’ll be working closely with my colleague Brad Fordham and the rest of my leadership team to refine our ambitious plans in the coming weeks and months.”
NatWest said that it had “continued to invest both in the scale of its mortgage business and the experience for brokers and direct customers”, pointing to the acquisition of Metro Bank for £2.5bn.
The firm is also testing post-submission live chat for brokers and has been growing its field-based business development manager (BDM) and telephony teams, along with looking at buy-to-let (BTL), new-build and large loan propositions.