Just Mortgages has strengthened its self-employed division in Scotland by appointing Grant MacKay as its new sales manager. Based near Motherwell, MacKay will work closely with 25 self-employed advisers across Scotland and the North East of England, with scope for more as the division grows. He brings almost 15 years of experience to the role, starting his career at HSBC in its telephony division. MacKay moved into mortgages at HSBC as assistant manager and later team manager, before gaining his CII qualification and becoming an adviser in 2014. He then joined Carrington Mortgage Services as a mortgage and protection advisers, before moving to firstmortgages.co.uk, where he was most recently sales quality manager.

Accord Mortgages has cut rates by up to 0.10% on its residential range. Reductions include cuts to some of its higher LTVs, with products at 75% LTV cut by to 0.10%, and those at 80% and 85% LTV cut by to 0.07%. Products for those with a 10% deposit have also come down by 0.05%. A five-year fix at 75% LTV, suitable for house purchase, now starts at 4.95%, while a two-year remortgage fix at 85% LTV is now available at 5.65%. Both products come with a £1,995 fee and a standard valuation. A fee-free five-year fix at 90% LTV for those purchasing a new home now starts at 5.37% and comes with a free standard valuation.

Crystal Specialist Finance has made two new appointments to its quality assurance team to cater for an increase in demand for its products and services. The specialist finance firm has appointed Anni Meakin as a quality assurance officer, while Juliette Berry joins as a quality assurance assistant. Meakin holds a CeMAP qualification and joins the firm from Mortgage Advice Bureau, where she held a similar role. Berry joins CSF from London-headquartered Overdot Marketing, where she was an account manager, leading on specialist projects. The duo will work with CSF’s existing quality assurance team to ensure customers receive “outstanding service”, reporting directly to head of compliance, Richard Bond.

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