1.    What does your role consist of and what roles/experience have you had in the past?

I am the business development manager for specialist lender Together for the Greater London region. I form relationships with brokers in my region and educate them and intermediary teams about our products and lending criteria, which includes the full range of residential first and second charges, bridging finance, consumer BTL (buy to let), commercial first and second charges, bridging finance and BTL. I support, guide and advise them in finding the right solution for their clients and I keep them up to speed with our product offering as our range constantly evolves.

I have worked in the mortgage and finance sector for lenders for 15 years and have always been broker facing, so I work closely with a large number of brokers to ensure they have plenty to offer their clients. I have always specialised in alternative finance, including buy-to-let, bridging, commercial and now second charge lending.

2.    Did you always want to work in finance?

Yes, as I have always enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of finance and I’m good with numbers.  I’ve always enjoyed analysing financial predicaments and I’ve gained extensive experience over the years in this.

3.    Why did you decide to join Together?

I wanted to join a lender who is well established in the specialist lending market. It was especially important to choose a lender with experience across a broad range of products, who was truly flexible in their approach to make commonsense lending decisions. Having chosen the right lender, I can now provide more than one solution to my brokers. 

4.    What one thing would you change about the bridging industry? 

I’d like to see more education and training with an industry-specific qualification available for those involved in the bridging and short-term finance sector.  

5    Would you agree that the bridging market is outstripping the mainstream mortgage market? 

I would, but I would also argue that they shouldn’t be compared directly as they have different purposes and serve different needs and requirements. Mainstream mortgage lending will always have an important role, but the bridging market provides a strong, viable and speedy alternative for many sensible propositions that the high street lenders deem to be too complex. Borrowers are certainly becoming more confident that bridging lenders will meet their needs. 

6    What exciting projects does Together have this year?  

Already this year we have made changes to both our BTL and CBTL (consumer buy-to-let) mortgages, with the age limit removed on both. The maximum loan for BTL has doubled from £200,000 to £400,000 and we’ve increased the loan size for CBTL from £200,000 to £250,000, which makes sense given that the average house price has just surpassed £215,000. We have a great appetite for commonsense lending and will continue to develop and enhance our product offering to meet the needs of our brokers and their customers.

We have also recently separated our retail and commercial activities under a new corporate governance structure with the different divisions managed independently. This is all part of the ambitious overall growth plans for the business. We’ve recently made a number of high-profile appointments to support this new structure and create a really dynamic leadership team to help us take the business forward.

7    What is the biggest challenge for the bridging market this year? 

Regulation is an ongoing challenge for the bridging market, although I don’t envisage any new regulation coming in the immediate future.

Obviously, uncertainly around the impact of Brexit on the property market is a real challenge this year. We don’t know yet whether this will be a positive impact or not – if interest rates are lowered and house prices drop, it may make the property market even more buoyant. Buyers will then need to be able to secure the property they want quickly and bridging loans will be a huge benefit to them. Demand hasn’t waned, so lending opportunities, with the right prudent and commonsense approach, remain strong.

8    Explain the most interesting deal you have seen at Together: 

The most interesting I have seen personally was for the purchase of a freehold property, valued at £700,000, which was split into two flats in need of modernisation. The investor applied for funding to renovate the two flats and, pending planning, build a new two-bed house on the land that came with the property. We arranged a bridge for the purchase on a first charge basis and secured with a second charge on the applicant’s separate buy-to-let. After three months we arranged a further advance based on the uplift in value of the property. The exit for the applicant was a part sale refinance. He separated the title of the land once it had planning permission for the new build, which he sold for £300,000. He then remortgaged the two flats with a high street lender.

9    What is your favourite part about the bridging industry?

Being able to provide a fast, short-term solution for a client so they can achieve their goals, and being able to talk to a broker about a case one week and seeing it completed the next.

10    Who is your idol and why?

It’s got to be Beyoncé. She’s driven, focused and hard-working, as well as being a mummy and a wife. She's a superwoman!