United Trust Bank (UTB) will now offer free valuations on residential mortgages to its Premier Club packager members.
UTB established its Premier Club in April and gave a select group of mortgage packagers access to semi-exclusive rates, criteria and features.
The latest change means all residential first charge applicants, including purchase, remortgage, first-time buyer and unencumbered borrowers, can potentially save £300 with a free valuation.
In June, the specialist lender also increased the maximum loan-to-income (LTI) criteria to six times income on residential mortgages up to 70% loan to value (LTV).
Buster Tolfree (pictured), director of mortgages at UTB, said: “This is another great benefit for Premier Club members and brokers who use them to support their specialist mortgage applications. With access to semi-exclusive preferential rates, criteria and features, brokers can get even better deals and place even trickier cases for their customers whilst benefitting from the knowledge and experience of packagers who know specialist mortgages inside out.
“At UTB, we are committed to supporting the broker market using innovative initiatives to increase access to mortgages for customers who aren’t best served by mainstream lenders. As the market continues to evolve, with issues like adverse credit affecting more and more people, it’s a sector of the house buying population, which is only getting bigger. As these customers often need more help and advice, this presents a great opportunity for brokers and lenders operating in the specialist space.”
UTB recently expanded its property development team with three appointments, adding Daniel Carlisle as senior director of property development as well as Sean Skelt and Gary Hunt, both as managers of property development.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
