Stinton (pictured) has worked at the mutual for 12 years with his previous role being corporate relationship manager.

In his new role, he will lead the intermediary development team which covers its head office contact centre and administration function, field and telephone business development manager (BDM) teams and corporate relationships. 

Stinton will support Kevin Purvey who was promoted from his role as director of intermediaries to director of mortgage distribution in February. 

Purvey said: “Jonathan is an excellent fit for this role as he has a thorough knowledge and understanding of Coventry Building Society.   

“He has forged his career working with intermediaries up and down the country and his new role will help to build upon our strong focus with our intermediary partners. He will ensure we keep delivering excellent levels of service through our key accounts, BDM’s and head office teams.” 

In this week’s episode, sponsored by Skipton Intermediaries, contributing editor Sam Partington talks to James Chisnall, director of City Finance Brokers, and Alex Beavis, head of mortgage products at Skipton Building Society.

The pandemic has brought change to every part of the mortgage industry and property market.

From lenders’ practices and policies, the way their staff work and their service levels, to brokers’ business volumes and their work/life balance. In some cases, it is change for the better, and others, for the worse.

In the fifth podcast of our series, James and Alex talk about how the pandemic has changed the availability of mortgage deals, the effect on service levels, the impact on funding, and how sociable roles like that of the business development manager have turned on their head.

Are we adapting? Tune in to find out.

You can listen to the podcast from the link below or from the Mortgage Solutions Soundcloud page.

What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role? 

Of course, things are slightly different at the moment, but typically I cover a variety of postcodes in the South East, which is essentially all the major ‘car parks’ otherwise known as motorways from Swindon to Gatwick.  

I also support my telephone colleagues with brokers looking to use Scottish Widows Bank for the first time. There’s always a lot going on.   

How do you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers? 

Good relationships with brokers is the bread and butter of what we do, so I always endeavour to return calls and emails quickly, and if something doesn’t go to plan I would try to go and see the broker, so I can assist with resolving the issue.  

Obviously until restrictions are eased, we can’t do that at the moment, so picking up the phone and scheduling time to talk is even more important than ever.   

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

Being able to give a clear indication of whether we can assist with a case at the outset is the most important skill. Time is a very valuable resource, and no one wants to waste it. 

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

I would love to improve my exam technique. I am currently studying for my Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeR-ER) exams.  

I haven’t studied since 2000 when I completed my CEMAP – unless you count two lots of GCSEs via my children.  

So being able to focus more when I am revising and then remembering everything when I get into the exam is definitely something I want to get better at.   

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? 

The best advice I have received is simple – keep smiling. 

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

Due to our bespoke lending propositions and flexibility on lending criteria I’m very lucky to get involved with unusual scenarios and some beautiful properties on a daily basis – there are just too many to single one out.  

If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry? 

I know the government has a lot on its plate at the moment, but I would engage with parliament about education and make it mandatory for children to be educated about financial services – from current accounts to loans, credit cards and mortgages.  

I think if they were more aware at a younger age then they would be better prepared for the future. 

What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career? 

I previously worked in retail bank branches with intermediaries and knew I definitely wanted to be involved in educating and supporting the broker network. Moving into a business development manager role really was the right fit for me.  

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why? 

I love history, so a tour guide was my fantasy role. Having access to the secret parts of places like Hampton Court Palace would be a dream.   

What did you want to be growing up? 

I’m not quite sure if this answers the question, but I wanted to be by the sea. The closest I have got to so far is my village pond, but I fully intend to get there. 

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

I would like to be able to dematerialise like on Star Trek – it seems to be a much easier way to travel but would probably play havoc with my hair. 

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

The strangest question that I have ever been asked is what star sign I am. Weirdly, this was during an interview – but not for my current role. 

What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?

I’m based in Glasgow City centre and West of Scotland, covering 125 companies and 350 advisers in my role.

How do you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers?

I focus on getting to know the broker and understanding their business. Its important to be transparent with brokers to gain their trust and respect.

What personal skill is most valuable in doing your job?  

Having strong organisational skills and knowledge of the products and systems that we offer is really important.

What personal talent would you most like to improve on?

No matter how good you are at something, you can always get better, and it’s important to me that I keep building on my existing skills to become the best BDM for the brokers with whom I work.

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given?

I always listen to feedback and strive to continually improve. Tenacity and persistence help you to develop, and that’s really important to me

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

All cases are complex and nothing is ever straightforward. The ability to take an enquiry and find a solution when the customer feels nothing is possible, is amazing. From short term self-employment to adverse credit scenarios and unusual constructions – I have seen it all over the years, so I’m really not phased.

If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry?

Wow that’s a huge job. To answer simply however, the whole process needs to be a lot easier for customers, brokers and lenders.

What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career?

I love the variety of the role and the ability to help customers move into their dream home. I enjoy all the challenges of the role, which are different from one day to another. Most-importantly however I love building relationships, which is definitely the best part of the job.

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?

I quite enjoyed being shown around some very nice new build homes on a site visit recently, so maybe I could do something in the new build sector.

What did you want to be growing up?

When you’re young, your mind changes every day. I think I wanted to be anything from a nurse, a film star, a pop star, a teacher and then eventually I decided I quite liked financial services and here I am.

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

Time is always of the essence in this role, so I really wish that I could fly to appointments.

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

As a parent of twins, I have been asked on several occasions if they are identical. Given that they are a girl and a boy, the answer is definitely no.

What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role? 

I look after Kent, Essex and Ipswich, focusing on the top 150 intermediary firms.  

How do you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers? 

When I meet a broker for the first time, I always ask what they need from their business development manager (BDM) and try to adapt and accommodate.  

The majority of brokers I speak to want a BDM that is available and responds in a timely manner. I find effective communication is key to maintaining good relationships and above all else always return a call, even if you know it is going to be a difficult conversation. 

What personal skill is most valuable in doing your job? 

I try to be positive, friendly and approachable in all my interactions whether face-to-face or over the telephone. I listen and try to understand the broker’s needs to help build a rapport and therefore a strong and trusting working relationship. 

What personal skill would you most like to improve on? 

I need a better sense of direction. I’m always getting lost, and that definitely doesn’t help when you’re a field-based BDM. 

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? 

My parents always said: find a job you love so it never feels like work, and that’s what I’ve always tried to do throughout my career. 

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

One of my first cases as a broker was for a lovely young family who had found their first home but were struggling to get the mortgage for it.  

I will always remember the tears and the emotion from my clients when their mortgage offer finally came through. It was such a wonderful feeling knowing that I’d truly helped someone achieve something that they didn’t think was possible. 

If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry? 

I’d review the balance between regulation and the customer journey and try to make the process a little less daunting, particularly for first–time buyers.  

What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career? 

I really enjoy meeting new people and building relationships, so business development is the perfect combination for me. I was a broker before I became a BDM so fully understand the importance of supporting the broker community.  

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why? 

I wouldn’t mind presenting ‘Love it or List it’ to help clients explore the options available to them – move over Kirsty and Phil.  

What did you want to be growing up? 

Growing up, I was always passionate about performing arts and loved to dance. Before I worked in mortgages, I was lucky enough to work as a professional dancer and got to perform on stage and television.  

My dancing shoes are well and truly hung up now, but I’m still just as passionate about the arts as I was back then. 

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

I would love to fly. Before I had children, I loved to travel as often as I could, to as many new places as possible. There’s still so much I want to see, and if I could fly, I could whizz around and tick off all the places on my bucket list. 

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

I don’t think I’ve been asked any – there’s no such thing as a strange question. 

Shrena Patel has started as senior business development manager (BDM) after joining from Shawbrook Bank where she was a BDM.

Prior to that Patel was a corporate relationship director at Santander. She will report to managing director Mark Posniak.

Chris Harrison has joined as senior credit manager from West One Loans where he was a senior lending underwriter.

He was previously an underwriter at The Loans Engine and will report to director of credit and risk Matt Smith.

Smith (pictured) noted that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the lender had set itself big goals for 2020 and growing our sales and credit teams was vital to achieve them.

“Shrena has a huge amount of experience and strong relationships with countless introducers, while Chris is one of the most sophisticated credit managers in the market,” he said.

“I’ve got no doubt that both will hit the ground running and prove invaluable members of the team.”

Patel said she was excited to be joining the firm.

“Having worked at a challenger bank, I see Octane as a challenger to the challengers,” she said.

Harrison added: “Everyone in the industry respects what Jon, Mark and Matt have achieved over the years and I leapt at the chance to work with them.

“The team here is more experienced than any I have worked in and thrives in the kind of climate we now find ourselves in.”

Attridge will report to sales director Marcus Dussard (pictured).  

Dussard said: “We always look internally to see if we have the talent able to fill any new role that comes up.

“Like each and every member of our team, Charlie will be instrumental in carrying out the exciting plans we have for the second half of the year to help support the market as it begins to move again.  

“During my time at HTB, Charlie has shown himself to be a very capable individual ready for that next step in his career and he will be able to showcase his talents in the field as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, he’ll be available via the normal channels.”

Knowledge Bank criteria

HTB has also added its criteria to the Knowledge Bank platform, joining over 200 lenders on the mortgage criteria search tool.

Dussard added: “We are delighted to be able to join Knowledge Bank to bring our specialist lending proposition to an even wider audience of professional brokers and intermediaries.” 

Nicola Firth, CEO and founder of Knowledge Bank, said: “The team at HTB have really embraced Knowledge Bank and fully understand how we can not only get them in front of thousands of brokers immediately, but also how it fits into their overall distribution strategy.  

“With traffic on our site increasing dramatically since the start of this pandemic, it’s a great time for HTB to come onboard and we look forward to working with them.” 

Proudfoot (pictured) has five years’ experience in intermediary sales and joins from Aldermore where he also worked as a BDM for three years. 

Prior to this, he was an account manager at Platform Home Loans, a subsidiary of The Co-operative Bank. 

Proudfoot will manage existing and new broker relationships for the North region and replaces Lottie Clayton, who was recently promoted to become the bank’s head of intermediary sales. Proudfoot will report to Clayton. 

Roger Evans, director of home finance distribution at Gatehouse Bank, said: “I am delighted that Chris has joined our rapidly growing team.

“He has invaluable knowledge and experience of the specialist finance market, which will assist him in forging strong working relationships with brokers in the region. 

“The number of brokers and introducers we work with has continued to increase and Chris will play a key role in managing these relationships.” 

Proudfoot added: “It’s an exciting time to be joining the business. The bank has expanded rapidly in the past couple of years, introducing new products to its home purchase plan and buy to let ranges and has plans for further growth within the intermediary market.” 

Clayton (pictured) has almost 20 years of experience in financial services, having joined Gatehouse from Chorley Building Society where she was a business development manager.  

Earlier in her career, she worked as a mortgage adviser for a number of firms including Countrywide and NatWest. 

Clayton will report to Roger Evans, director of home finance distribution, and be responsible for supporting the sales team to further build relationships with brokers and introducers. 

Evans said: “Lottie has been with Gatehouse for a relatively short period but her previous experience and knowledge of the intermediary market, from both a broker and lender perspective, has helped her make a hugely positive impact. 

“I am delighted that she’s stepped up to this important role. Her experience will be pivotal in helping the team enhance the bank’s relationships with brokers, as we continue to extend our reach into the intermediary market.” 

Clayton added: “I have really enjoyed my time since joining Gatehouse and I am delighted to have been appointed to the role of head of intermediary sales.  

“I believe my background of working within the intermediary mortgage market both as a broker and for a lender will allow me to support the BDM team in establishing, developing and maintaining strong broker relationships.” 

Claire Singleton, CEO of Legal & General Home Finance; Greg Neilson, managing director at Aviva Retirement and Matthew Burton, managing director of mortgages at Hodge have been appointed to the ERC board.

Other additions include Vanessa Owen, vice president, private markets UK of Reinsurance Group of America and Tom Evans, managing director of Canada Life Home Finance.

David Burrowes, chairman of the Equity Release Council, said: “The expansion of our board follows a period where equity release has become established as a mainstream financial services product, among the most carefully regulated in the UK, to help finance later life and meet a host of financial and social purposes.

“Our new directors will add to the industry expertise that guides our work.”

Bank of Ireland appoints BDM

Bank of Ireland UK has appointed Mike Furlong (pictured) as business development manager (BDM) for the North East region.

He brings over three decades’ experience in developing relationships with brokers and supporting them to place complex mortgages. He will help to strengthen the bank’s relationships with intermediary mortgage providers.

Furlong said: “I am delighted to be joining such a dynamic team of experts and am looking forward to helping the business continue to support brokers, and ultimately, customers to find the best lending products for them.”

Iain Smith, head of intermediaries at Bank of Ireland UK, added: “I’m delighted to have someone with Mike’s experience and passion join our team, especially as we continue to support the mortgage intermediary market and be there for them during these unprecedented times.”