YBS Commercial Mortgages has cut rates on its commercial real estate products by up to 0.20%. The commercial lender has also cut rates by 0.15% on its five-year fixed rate semi-commercial, as well as on its commercial investment range for loans on retail, office, industrial, warehousing, quality leisure facilities and other kinds of commercial property. The lender’s SME product has also been cut by 0.20%. As a result, a five-year fix for semi-commercial clients now starts at 6.40% at up to 60% LTV. Five-year fixes for commercial investment and owner-occupied clients start from 6.84% and 7.05% respectively at up to 75% LTV. All products come with a 2% fee.

Aegon UK has appointed Amanda Wright as general counsel and company secretary, effective from May 2025. She joins the firm from Chesnara, where she was group general counsel and company secretary and a member of the executive leadership team. Prior to this role, Wright spent 15 years with Standard Life, where she held several senior leadership roles including head of legal and head of strategic relationships. She will take over from James Mackenzie, who held the role of general counsel and company secretary between 2009 and 2024. He has stepped down to take on the role of head of investor relations at Target Fund Managers.

Precise has upgraded its policy around AVMs to help brokers speed up their bridging caseloads and free up more of their time. The upgrade now allows for cases with up to 75% LTV, and includes properties valued up to £1.5m, which covers 99% of properties. AVMs are also now permitted for light refurbishment. The new upgrades enhances the existing bridging range which launched in January 2025 and feature rates from 0.62% per month with no maximum loan size, no exit fee and no early repayment charges.

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