The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) has announced that iamproperty has become the latest firm to join its ranks.

The Newcastle-based business said that joining OPDA reflect the growing industry momentum to modernise the buying, selling and lettings process.

iamproperty was founded by Ben Ridgway and Jamie Cooke in 2009 to empower agents to succeed with tech and support, working with over 7,000 branches across the UK.

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network (TRM) has appointed Drew Wilson as its new specialist lending development manager.

In his new role, he will work with TRM member firms and their advisers across the specialist lending market, providing support to advisers with clients whose circumstances require solutions outside mainstream mortgage lending.

Wilson brings more than five years’ experience covering mortgage and protection roles, gaining his CeMAP qualification in 2023. He returns to TRM after previously spending four years at the network as national account manager between 202 and 2024. He joins from Crystal Specialist Finance, where he worked as an ancillary sales executive.

Joshua Owens has joined Aldermore as business development manager (BDM) within its assets based lending (ABL) team.

In his new role, he will focus on strengthening the firm’s presence across the South, working with brokers, advisers and businesses to increase access flexible funding solutions.

Owens joins from Investec Capital Solutions, where he spent almost five years as regional sales director, helping businesses access working capital and growth finance solutions.

Darlington Building Society has supported a first-time buyer to secure a residential mortgage using pension income.

The applicant, a UK-based borrower approaching retirement, was looking to step onto the property ladder for the first time, and their income was primarily derived from a pension, which required a more detailed affordability assessment than would typically be applied to earned income.

Given the applicant’s age and income profile, the case required a considered approach to affordability, with the society assessing the sustainability of pension income over the term fo the mortgage. It added that the case reflects broader in borrower profile, with more first-time buyers entering the market later in life.

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