Darlington Building Society has appointed Rebecca Russell as digital business development manager (BDM) for Wales and the South West. She moved into the role at the start of January after working for the society for 13 years, beginning her career as a mortgage adviser before moving to a data-led role within the business development team last year on secondment. In this role, Russell analysed market trends, broker enquiries and feedback, working closely with marketing and product teams to refine and improve borrower outcomes, with her performance leading to her promotion to digital BDM.

Landbay has launched a new range of remortgage products including assisted legals and a free valuation in partnership with Conveyd. The new range is designed to assist brokers advising landlord borrowers with remortgage cases, helping to reduce clients' upfront costs and deliver a faster process through to completion. Available across five-year rates with fee levels between £999 and £1,999, depending on loan size, the remortgage-only buy-to-let (BTL) products are available up to 75% LTV with rates from 5.09% and the fixes come with a free valuation.

Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has enhanced its BTL pricing on loans over £1m, introducing clearer differentiation at lower loan-to-value levels to better reflect more conservative leverage. The update means that where larger BTL cases are structured at lower LTVs, pricing now reduces accordingly. This strengthens the relationship between leverage, servicing and costs, and gives brokers greater confidence when structuring borrowing from professional landlords. HTB said that change comes as affordability and servicing continue to play a more decisive role in BTL decision-making. By rewarding lower leverage, the revised pricing supports brokers reassessing how and when debt is introduced across larger portfolios.

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