Market Financial Solutions (MFS) has announced the appointment of Karen Rodrigues as its new head of national accounts.

Rodrigues will join MFS from Smoove, which included the eConveycaner platform, where she was director of sales.

With over 20 years’ experience in the mortgage intermediary sector, Rodrigues started her career in financial services with Halifax in 1992.

She has since spent four years at Vida Homeloans as a corporate sales manager, and has also previously held positions at Aldermore Mortgages, Kensington, and One Savings Bank’s Kent Reliance and Prestige Finance brands.

“I am delighted to be joining MFS at a time when the company is expanding at pace,” Rodrigues said. “Having been an active player for 17 years now, the company is an integral part of the specialist finance industry, and I am excited to be a part of the business’ continued growth in the months and years to come.

“As other lenders withdraw their products and frequently adjust their rates, MFS has committed to providing the certainty, speed and flexibility that brokers and borrowers are crying out for in today’s lending market. I look forward to taking its market-leading products to the UK’s clubs and networks.”

While many banks have retracted and withdrawn their products in recent months, demand for specialist finance has increased and MFS has reported an uptick in enquiries and completions in 2023.

The firm has grown significantly over the past two years, and with £1bn currently available in funding and a new line of institutional funding worth £400m recently unveiled, the company is on track to achieve its goal of growing the overall loan book to £1.5bn in 2023. It has also doubled its employee headcount since the start of 2022, with more than 100 employees – including latest addition Rodrigues – now on the team.

CEO of MFS, Paresh Raja, added: “Lenders need great products and exceptional levels of services, and both things rely on having great individuals within their teams – that is why we’re so pleased to welcome Karen to MFS.

“Karen has immense experience in the intermediary market. Her extensive understanding of what borrowers and brokers need from lenders will enhance our ability to deliver an exceptional service and products to intermediaries across the UK.”

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