James Briggs has joined Afin Bank as intermediary sales director. He has joined the newly launched specialist lender from Together Personal Finance, where he served as head of intermediary sales. Briggs has over 25 years of experience in the specialist mortgage market, including a stint at Precise Mortgages. As part of his new role, Briggs will lead the firm in developing broker relationships ahead of Afin’s planned full launch in 2025.
Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has announced a leadership transition, with managing director of specialist mortgages, Alex Upton, assuming full responsibility for the bridging division. This follows Jamie Jolly’s decision to step down from leading and shaping HTB’s bridging proposition since joining the firm in May 2022. Upton has driven growth in the firm’s specialist mortgage division and previously led the development finance team, and she will now extend her leadership to the bridging division. HTB said that her appointment "reinforces" its strategy of providing more support and value for brokers.
Darlington Building Society has made a number of changes to its product offerings to support first-time buyers. The lender is now offering its 95% LTV mortgages nationwide, excluding London, and has reduced rates by up to 0.35%. The Darlington has also increased the maximum loan size and has abolished fees for first-time buyers. As part of the changes, first-time buyers on a skilled worker visa can now access mortgages up to 95% LTV with no minimum time in the UK required.
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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.
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.
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.
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