This month, we are speaking to Gavin Richardson, managing director at Mortgage Finance Brokers (MFB).
How did you get into the mortgage industry?
I began my career in financial services in 1998 with HSBC and initially followed the financial planning route. Over the years, I worked for both Lloyds and HSBC, eventually managing their private client advice teams. After leaving the banking world, I spent six years as a professional rugby coach. At 47, I realised that standing in a muddy field in shorts (usually in the rain) might not be how I wanted to spend the next 20 years, even though I was fortunate enough to have a job that genuinely felt like a hobby.
I took some time to reflect on what I wanted to do next and kept coming back to the part of my previous roles I enjoyed most: helping people with their mortgages. I was lucky enough to join Mortgage Finance Brokers (then Mortgages for Business) as a residential mortgage broker, and I haven’t looked back.
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What has been the biggest learning over your career?
I’ve been fortunate to have worked – and still work – with some excellent people, and I’ve learned from the ‘not so good’ along the way. Working across different industries has taught me not to judge too quickly. People learn differently, are motivated by different things, and won’t always agree with you – and that’s healthy.
If I had to narrow it down to one principle, whether in a rugby team or a business, it’s this: don’t fear other people’s potential. Surround yourself with great people with a common goal, give them the autonomy and environment to do their jobs well, and focus your energy on keeping them engaged.
You have been at Mortgage Finance Brokers since 2016. What do you think the most significant changes in the mortgage market have been, and have they been positive?
Time really does fly. When I look back at the changes since I joined MFB, it’s remarkable how much the industry has had to navigate: Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, a change of government, and the occasional disastrous Budget.
Against that backdrop, the mortgage sector has continued to evolve. Regulation has tightened, and the industry has become more professional, with a stronger focus on risk management. Stress testing and affordability assessments have become more rigorous, rightly designed to protect consumers.
Borrowers have had to adapt, too.
Affordability has become more challenging, particularly for first‑time buyers facing higher rates and rising living costs. Family support, gifted deposits, joint borrower sole proprietor (JBSP) arrangements, and intergenerational planning have become more common. Borrowers are more sensitive to rate changes, and many have delayed moves or opted for longer‑term fixes. Remote working and regional shifts have also changed demand patterns.
Mortgage Finance Brokers operates across the residential, commercial and buy‑to‑let (BTL) sectors, as well as short‑term finance. Where do you see opportunities in the coming year? Are there any areas that you want to expand into?
We now have a presence across most areas of the market, and our focus is on strengthening partnerships that enable our clients to access everything they need, directly or indirectly, through MFB.
The coming year presents opportunities across all four of our core sectors. Residential lending is gaining momentum, BTL is stabilising in specific niches, commercial borrowing is recovering, and short‑term finance remains in strong demand.
Our priorities remain consistent: put customers first, ensure we have the right people doing great work, and keep refining our processes to support a smooth, efficient client journey.
The specialist lending sector has been cited as a growing area for many years. What are you seeing on the ground?
We’re seeing more enquiries around incorporation, increasingly complex limited company structures involving trusts and share purchase agreements, and more clients diversifying into commercial or semi‑commercial property. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and multi-unit freehold blocks (MUFBs) remain popular, but realistically only among established professional landlords.
The impact of the Renters’ Rights Act shouldn’t be underestimated. As the administrative burden grows, being a landlord is becoming a full‑time job rather than a hobby.
The BTL sector has faced numerous headwinds in recent years. Do you think the sector is turning a corner, and what would your advice be to brokers operating in this space?
Regulation has been the biggest driver of change, reshaping affordability, underwriting, and lender behaviour. The reforms introduced after the global financial crisis were designed to protect both borrowers and lenders, and they continue to influence the market today. That can only be a good thing; no one wants a repeat of 2008.
The flip side is that the market has become more restrictive for certain borrower groups. Brokers need to stay close to lender criteria, understand the nuances of specialist products, and be prepared to structure cases more creatively than ever before.
You recently partnered with property tech platform Hello Neighbour to give landlords access to trusted mortgage providers. How is that partnership going, and should more broker firms consider similar collaborations?
I was introduced to Richard at Hello Neighbour through Suzanne Smith (The Independent Landlord), and it was immediately clear that we shared the same values around client care and supporting landlords throughout their investment journey.
Although the partnership is still in its early stages, we’re already seeing the benefits and the natural alignment between our businesses. I would encourage any brokerage to look beyond its current service offering and explore partnerships that genuinely enhance the client experience.
Technology is a big topic of conversation in the mortgage market. What is Mortgage Finance Brokers’ strategy around technology, and where do you think the greatest efficiencies can be found?
Borrowers increasingly expect a seamless digital experience: easy document uploads, real‑time updates, and faster decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are helping to remove long‑standing bottlenecks by reducing paperwork, improving verification, and speeding up underwriting.
For us, the biggest gains come from workflow automation and smarter case‑management systems. These tools free advisers to focus on what matters most: high‑quality advice, structuring complex cases, and maintaining the personal, trusted relationships that set us apart.
What is the current headcount of the firm, and are there plans for further recruitment?
We currently have 35 colleagues across our two offices, following a strategic review of our people, premises, and processes. We recently moved into fantastic new offices on the Kings Hill estate in Kent, and we’re in the process of migrating to a new CRM system with One Mortgage System (OMS).
We’re also excited to be launching our first academy and have welcomed three brilliant new apprentices on the Financial Services Administrator scheme. In addition, we currently have two live vacancies for BTL brokers in our Kent and Wilmslow offices.
What do you want the mortgage market to know about Mortgage Finance Brokers?
Mortgage Finance Brokers is well-known across the industry, although after more than 33 years as Mortgages for Business, even some of us internally are still adjusting to the new name. What hasn’t changed is who we are: a whole‑of‑market mortgage finance brokerage with a long‑established reputation for specialist expertise across every segment of the property finance landscape.
We operate with dedicated brokers focused on their individual areas of the market, ensuring deep knowledge, strong lender relationships, and consistently high-quality outcomes for our clients. As the business continues to evolve, we are expanding our offering to support every stage of the property finance journey. This now includes conveyancing, insurance, will writing, specialist reports, partnerships with letting agencies, utility‑switching services, and access to tax specialists. Our aim is to provide a fully integrated, end‑to‑end experience that supports clients not just with their financial needs, but also with the wider ecosystem of services surrounding property investment and ownership.
