TML and Bluestone had been in competition in the past and will remain two distinct brands, but as part of a single function within the group. Sard is now in the process of integrating the two operations, creating a more scalable platform to enable the bank to leverage the respective strengths of each brand and their enviable distribution networks.

Sard said: “We’re effectively leveraging the deep specialist expertise we have within the TML and Bluestone brands, with the financial strength, data insight and technology of a scale lender – two brands operating with the benefit of consistent funding and everything that the wider Shawbrook Group can provide.

“It means we can offer more value, more certainty and more options to our brokers and customers.”

Distribution is key and one change was a priority to make brokers’ lives easier: retaining the number of business development managers and strength of the sales force, while enabling them to work across both brands.

“By investing in our people, building knowledge and relationships, we can help advisers to manage more cases through one contact and to secure solutions more easily,” said Sard.

The risky side of any operational integration was the market believing this meant the brands would change the kind of business they do, but Sard wanted to send the message that “nothing is changing”.

The brands will become more specialised and differentiated, with TML continuing as the go-to lender for self-employed borrowers, those with complex incomes, and buy to let, while Bluestone continues to support existing and aspiring homeowners with complex credit histories.

The Shawbrook brand will remain synonymous with the larger and more bespoke products and service it provides to professional property investors in the residential, semi-commercial and commercial market.

“Our vision is to build great relationships with the customers who value the premium experience, flexibility and certainty we can deliver – right when it matters most. Through both TML and Bluestone, we can offer mortgages to those with the means to own their home but not the vanilla profile required by the high street banks. And with TML, we’re also supporting a healthy private rental market with a very compelling buy-to-let proposition,” Sard added.

Shawbrook has established a reputation for its ‘best of both’ business model, which includes significant investment in its own technology and data capabilities over recent years.

Sard said: “There is a great opportunity to use the wider pool of tech talent we have across the organisation to really set our origination and underwriting journeys apart. Work is well underway already, and I’m excited to see what we’re doing to simplify and automate what we can – but not without compromising the benefits of what our people bring to the experience.”

Sard predicts there will be a time when decisions would be instant, but added that progress will depend on not just infrastructure but also the way in which data is shared between brokers and lenders.

Some of the building blocks are in place, including the introduction of automated valuation models and income verification on some cases, but the journey is probably only 40-50% complete.

Additionally, the group has begun using artificial intelligence in some areas. Sard said while this technology was “spectacular” and has huge potential, there was a need for both Shawbrook and the wider market to exercise caution in its application.

This strategic decision has been rooted in strengthening the group’s relationship with brokers and employees.

Sard said: “How do we ensure we keep the quality of the team we have? We took our time when looking at the structure and roles and prioritised our people over speed. As a result, it probably took a little longer than we expected, but we wanted to maintain a strong emphasis on talent quality and team cohesion and have invested significantly in personal development to ensure that our people are able to offer the best possible support to intermediaries.

“Our second priority has been how we communicate with brokers – making sure our teams can clearly educate and articulate our strengths within our market, what we’re aiming to achieve, why we’re doing it, and how it can benefit brokers and their customers.”

The demand for specialist lending will continue to grow going forward, Sard said, given the nature of how the economy and life in general is evolving.

“Our lives are getting complicated. And complexity is hard for traditional high street lenders to deal with. What we are building is a specialist proposition that can cope with complexity as we scale up. We can be big by thinking small,” he added.

Sard said the group’s most recent results indicated its strong position in the market, driven by a strong capital position, growing loan book and focus on cost management. For brokers and customers, knowing that a lender is commercially successful and financially disciplined provides a lot of confidence. In uncertain times, having a lender that consistently has a strong market presence without the need for short-notice withdrawals is so important for broker relationships.

“Customers want to get their mortgage from a strong organisation and I think we are in that place,” Sard said.

Its willingness to invest in its technology and its people will only serve to strengthen its proposition, which also gives confidence to people within Shawbrook as well as its partners and customers.

Sard has described Shawbrook as one of the best kept secrets in the specialist mortgage sector and continues to be amazed that some brokers still did not realise the brands were under one group.

Sard said: “We want to reinforce the message that together, we are one of the biggest in the specialist mortgage market and we have been here for many years.

“I want each of our brands to be a hallmark for excellence in their respective markets, and for Shawbrook to be recognised as a major presence in the specialist mortgage market.”