Driven by the restrictions placed on the industry throughout the pandemic, lenders have focused on system modernisation, process efficiency and digitisation.

Mark Hutchings, managing director of Berkeley Alexander, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Natasha to the team. She has a solid commercial insurance background and experience working with some leading brokers in the market."

The platform is free and available to all mortgage advisers through a standalone interface.

When asked about their outlook on the future, brokers who specialise in the second charge mortgage market were nearly three times more confident on the outlook for the lending environment for the rest of the year, compared to the end of 2020.

This is in addition to the existing specialist fees free mortgage packaging facility already in place, and the existing secured loans and bridging finance offering.

This new record high is only £15 higher than the previous record set in July, a sign that prices are now stabilising, Rightmove believes.

Home from Home is the first new addition to the Buckinghamshire Building Society mortgage portfolio – a proposition which gives people the opportunity to own a second holiday home and rent it out for up to 90 days each year as a holiday let.

UK Finance and the BSA have called for changes to be made to the SMI scheme to help homeowners as the furlough scheme draws to a close.

Alice Watson, head of marketing, insurance at Canada Life, said: “The pandemic has prompted people to re-evaluate what is most important to them, so it isn’t surprising that the over-60s are considering their later-life care plans."

'Host insurance’ complements a home insurance policy and provides cover for guest injuries, property loss, or damage caused by hosting activities.

Fred Sharp, director of mortgage distribution at The Co-operative Bank, said: “We continue to review our product range to ensure that we’re offering the most competitive rates and best value mortgage options."

The move follows a recent call from the West Brom to the industry to do more to help those borrowers that are stuck paying higher rates.