IMLA to survey members in bid to tackle market capacity challenges

The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) has announced it will be surveying its members over the coming weeks to identify the specific challenges facing lenders that are putting a strain on service levels.

The Association said it hopes to work with industry stakeholders to identify “possible solutions” to current bottlenecks and delays in mortgage applications.
 
IMLA stated that high levels of activity are a positive sign that the mortgage market remains resilient, despite the market experiencing “unprecedented” levels of demand since reopening after the COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year.
 
While lenders are trying to manage record volumes of business, the Association suggested they have also emphasised their commitment to acting prudently and responsibly.

“The focus of lenders remains, as it should, on acting prudently and lending responsibly within their regulatory commitments, and ultimately, to protect borrowers,“ IMLA executive director, Kate Davies, commented.

“However, the current situation is clearly continuing to impact service levels and we need to identify the main reasons for this, and try to find ways of alleviating the logjams. We also need to be clear about what is realistically achievable and try to manage borrowers’ and intermediaries’ expectations in terms of what lenders can deliver.

“The COVID-19 crisis has emphasised the need for borrowers to be given good advice about their mortgage options, and I believe that most borrowers will understand and appreciate that good advice and responsible lending may take a little longer in these exceptional times.

“We now know that we all face further restrictions on our lives – probably for another six months. But we also know, from the way the industry has coped so far, that we are up to the challenge.”

IMLA stated that it hopes to “draw together” perspectives by surveying its members to identify solutions, and one of the industry stakeholders it intends to work with is the Association for Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI).

AMI chief executive, Robert Sinclair, said: “We have an incredibly busy mortgage market at the moment. While the strong levels of activity we are seeing is certainly a positive sign of the sector’s resilience, it is continuing to present difficulties for lenders as they battle demand.
 
“Whether we are advisers or lenders, we are all in this market together and it is vital that we work in partnership to find ways of overcoming these difficulties. This is a welcome step from IMLA towards highlighting and resolving factors that are impacting service levels for customers and we are eager to work jointly with its members as they evaluate their findings and identify solutions to the current challenges we are all facing.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


FREE E-NEWS SIGN UP

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news and other industry announcements by email.

  Please tick here to confirm you are happy to receive third party promotions from carefully selected partners.


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?

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.


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.

The new episode of The Mortgage Insider podcast, out now
Regional housing markets now matter more than ever. While London and the Southeast still tend to dominate the headlines from a house price and affordability perspective, much of the growth in rental yields and buyer demand is coming from other parts of the UK.

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.