There was never any danger of Fleet not returning – Young

The end of last year seems a very long time ago; indeed given the amount of work that has gone into bringing Fleet Mortgages back to market, it seems like a lifetime has passed during that period.

But, here we are, back lending again and – despite everything that has happened in the last few months – it truly feels like our 2019 is only just starting.

It has been incredibly heartening to get the calls and emails all the Fleet team has received in just the last day or so, welcoming us back to the market.

We are very grateful for the patience that has been shown by our intermediary partners during this time.

Despite what some might have been suggesting, there was never any danger of Fleet not returning to lending, but – as I’ve said before – we wanted to ensure we explored all the funding options that were available to us.

Discussions continue

Rest assured, there were many, and our discussions continue with a number of other organisations to bring on board new funding lines.

It’s proved to us that our business model works and funders are actively looking for quality operations to work with, especially in a specialist lending environment.

It will be interesting to see if the ‘signs of a second credit crunch’-type articles are now tempered by this clear vote of confidence in Fleet Mortgages, the buy-to-let market, and intermediary distribution.

I won’t hold my breath.

Our new range, including the limited edition offering, criteria enhancements, and the launch of product transfers for new borrowers on fixed-rate terms, is down to our incredibly hard-working project team.

They have burnt the midnight oil and said goodbye to a few weekends along the way, in order to get us to this point.

Hard work starts now

What we can all do now is focus on making up for lost time, ensuring that our range is understood, that intermediaries get the enhancements we have made and what we can now offer them.

And, of course, that we continue to lend responsibly and with a service that continues to deliver.

We like to think that the new pricing structure and the criteria changes are a little way for us to say thank you back, but we know that the hard work truly starts now.

It’s definitely good to be back.