Paragon appoints new managing director of mortgages

Paragon Banking Group has announced today that it will be appointing Richard Rowntree as its new managing director of mortgages, subject to regulatory approval.

Rowntree will be joining Paragon from the Bank of Ireland, where he is managing director of UK mortgages. He will be taking over the reins at Paragon from John Heron when he retires early next year.

Rowntree will bring a wealth of specialist banking experience to his new role, having previously held posts at RBS (Williams & Glyn), Santander, Lloyds TSB and Halifax. He is also the chairman of UK Finance’s Mortgage Product Board.

Commenting on Richard’s appointment, John Heron, the current managing director of mortgages at Paragon, said: “A great deal of care has been taken over our search for the new head of our mortgage business and we have seen a number of exceptional candidates.

“I am delighted that Richard is joining Paragon. He has a great track record with experience at a senior level across a number of mortgage segments and is well known for his excellent work at UK Finance. Importantly, I think Richard’s values are very closely aligned with Paragon’s and I believe he is well equipped to take the business forward.”

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