Foundation adds staff to handle stamp duty surge and meet 2021 targets

The lender has added to underwriting, new business and sales teams which will also help provide a smoother process for advisers and their clients.

At the start of the year, the specialist lender employed seven new experienced underwriters, after underwriting assistants, processing team members and completions staff also joined the team.

The number of people working in the new business team has now increased by 45 per cent, with many staff remotely recruited and working across the UK, Foundation said.

Foundation’s sales team has also been boosted by new starters, as well as promotions for existing staff, while the lender brought two new internal business development managers (BDMs) in January and a new sales support team member.

At the same time, David Wheatley and Patrick Ogrigri have been promoted to regional account managers in London and South Central respectively and will be looking after intermediaries in those regions.

Sarah Wade was also promoted to head of marketing, with responsibility for driving Foundation’s marketing in 2021 and beyond.

The new recruitment means that, by the end of January, total headcount at Foundation will be up 17 per cent versus the same point last year.

George Gee, commercial director at Foundation Home Loans (pictured), said: “Ensuring we have all the resources required within the business in order to support our adviser partners, and to help us move forward as a lender, has been a key focus over the last few months, and we’ll continue to recruit and promote as required across all teams.

“The next couple of months will undoubtedly be busy from a completions perspective as we work to ensure as many cases as possible can complete before the stamp duty deadline, but we certainly don’t view this as a temporary arrangement.

“Last year was a highly successful year for Foundation and, as a result, our lending ambitions have grown for 2021. It’s why we’ve also increased the numbers and experience within our underwriting and sales team to support the ongoing demand that advisers are seeing in the specialist residential and buy-to-let sectors.”