Leeds BS Signals Technology Focus
Leeds Building Society has appointed Steven Croke as chief information officer, subject to regulatory approval. Croke brings more than 30 years of financial-services technology transformation experience, including his most recent role at Gartner. The appointment is another indication that lenders see technology capability as central to service, resilience and distribution. For advisers, the practical question […]
Protection Gap Meets Consumer Duty
The FCA is working with industry, government and consumer groups to expand protection coverage after finding that around 58% of adults have no life, critical-illness or income-protection cover. The regulator says the initiative will focus particularly on groups more likely to be unprotected, including renters, self-employed and gig-economy workers, lower-income consumers and people with pre-existing […]
Low-Deposit Lending Expands
Low-deposit mortgage lending has reportedly risen 38% to £24.7bn, with the share of lending at 90% loan-to-value and above at its highest level since 2008. Separately, the government is reported to be preparing a proposed Your First Home initiative, using a 20% government-backed equity loan that could allow qualifying first-time buyers to proceed with a […]
AI Speeds Complex Mortgage Offers
Precise has launched an upgraded residential mortgage platform, reporting pilot application-to-offer times almost 30% faster than its prior system; some cases reached formal offer within 24 hours. The development highlights how workflow automation, data integration and better case triage are becoming material competitive factors in specialist and complex lending. Advisers should distinguish faster processing from […]
Mortgage Rates Reprice Higher
Barclays has withdrawn selected market-leading products and is increasing rates by up to 30 basis points on 85 mortgages, with some deals moving above 5%. Other lender repricing and higher swap-rate commentary underline that borrowers nearing purchase, remortgage or product-transfer deadlines may face a narrower window than expected. For advisers, the priority is disciplined pipeline […]