Eighty-one per cent of property and commercial finance brokers believe they are prepared for a second wave of COVID-19, new research from United Trust Bank (UTB) has revealed.
UTB’s most recent Broker Sentiment Survey, carried out amongst 136 brokers, also revealed that nearly a third (32%) of respondents are currently busier than they were this time last year.
Another 27% said they were as busy as this time last year while 17% reported they were busier than they had ever been. The remaining 24% reported lower levels of enquiries.
When asked about their arrangements for flexible working, 46% of the survey’s respondents are considering maintaining their current home and remote working arrangements over the next 12 months, with a further 18% considering increasing their working from home capability.
UTB found that 21% of brokers had indicated they would be keeping their options open while just 15% said that they would be aiming to bring all their staff back to the office, as per pre-pandemic arrangements.
UTB group managing director, Harley Kagan, commented: “The government has indicated that a second wave of coronavirus is building, local lockdowns are already in place around the UK and further restrictions appear inevitable.
“It’s therefore encouraging to see that most brokers consider themselves prepared to deal with the challenges a second wave may bring. With so many also reporting good levels of business, there’s a strong sense within the specialist finance industry that whatever happens, many lenders and brokers have the technology and processes in place to maintain their operations.”
Latest News
Perenna and the long-term fixed mortgage market
Content editor, Dan McGrath, spoke to head of product, proposition and distribution at Perenna, John Davison, to explore the long-term fixed mortgage market, the role that Perenna plays in this sector and the impact of the recent Autumn Budget
The role of the bridging market and technology usage in the industry
Content editor, Dan McGrath, sat down with chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, Damien Druce, and head of development finance at Empire Global Finance, Pete Williams, to explore the role of the bridging sector, the role of AI across the industry and how the property market has fared in the Labour Government’s first year in office.
NEW BUILD IN FOCUS - NEW EPISODE OF THE MORTGAGE INSIDER PODCAST, OUT NOW
Figures from the National House-Building Council saw Q1 2025 register a 36% increase in new homes built across the UK compared with the same period last year, representing a striking development for the first-time buyer market. But with the higher cost of building, ongoing planning challenges and new and changing regulations, how sustainable is this growth? And what does it mean for brokers?
Does the North-South divide still exist in the UK housing market?
What do the most expensive parts of the country reveal about shifting demand? And why is the Manchester housing market now outperforming many southern counterparts?
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.
© 2019 Perspective Publishing Privacy & Cookies
Recent Stories