Rising Star: Julie Meehan, Mercantile Trust

What does your role entail and how long have you been doing it?

I am the underwriting manager for Mercantile Trust and have been in this current role for six years. I have a wide range of different roles but mainly the smooth running of the underwriting department and making sure we hit and go above all our service levels and complete deals in a swift manner.

What attracted you to working in the mortgage/property/finance sector?

I originally fell into the finance industry and have worked in many different areas however I love working in the buy-to-let sector and helping make peoples’ businesses grow.

What were you doing in the five years before starting here?

I was a collections manager before joining underwriting, helping customers resolve their financial problems, so I have truly seen the beginning and the end of the process.

What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?

A good attention to detail and memory is essential in my job as just the smallest of spelling mistakes on an address could mean that we could not register our charge after completion.

What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?

This is more of a hobby of mine, which I am getting better at each time I do it, and that is restoring old furniture. I like to see how you can completely transform an item and give it a new lease of life. Plus it is very relaxing.

How has the pandemic changed the way you approach your job?

The pandemic made Mercantile Trust rethink all our processes when we initially had to work at home. We have perfected a smooth method of becoming almost paperless (other than legal documents). This enables us to work from home or the office and speeds up our operation.

What is the most interesting/memorable property deal/case you’ve been involved in?

One the most interesting deals of late was being able to lend enough to a customer in a very short space of time to purchase a property that was completely damaged by fire. The customer refurbished the property to a high standard in record time too.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I hope to be continuing in the same field and taking Mercantile Trust to a new level of recognition.

If present-day you could go back in time and tell yourself something five years ago, what would it be?

The world as you know it is going to change, be prepared and just go with the flow.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve tackled so far in your career?

The most recent one was the pandemic. The logistics of going from solely office-based to working from home, managing time and staying in touch with the team. At the same time as Mercantile Trust being exceptionally busy.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

If I could have one superpower it would be to teleport to places just like in Star Trek so I can avoid sitting in traffic when coming into the office.

And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?

If I could be an animal which would I be? I answered Lion as I am a Leo, no other reason.