NatWest Intermediary to enter Northern Ireland market

Northern Ireland brokers will be offered exactly the same proposition, lending criteria and policy as England, Wales and Scotland.

NatWest Intermediary to enter Northern Ireland market

NatWest Intermediary Solutions will launch into Northern Ireland next month.

Brokers in Northern Ireland will be offered exactly the same proposition, lending criteria and policy as in England, Wales and Scotland.

Graham Felstead, head of intermediary mortgages, NatWest Intermediary Solutions, said: “This is a positive move for brokers in Northern Ireland as we are well placed to support the future growth and sustainability of mortgage lending in the province.

“It will result in an enhanced overall service that will provide mortgage intermediaries with a bespoke proposition offering them greater choice and flexibility in addressing their customers’ mortgage requirements.

“To ensure that brokers are brought fully up to speed with this new arrangement, we will be holding two events prior to launch to welcome them to NatWest, to explain our processes and to give them a better understanding of our products and lending criteria.

“We are really looking forward to working in partnership with the brokers of Northern Ireland and have an appetite to grow our lending to their customers.”

NatWest said brokers will be sent invitations to launch events in due course.

Mark Bell, senior mortgage adviser at NI Mortgages in Belfast, said: “This is and isn’t a significant move.

“We have had years of Ulster Bank [which is part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group alongside NatWest] but now it’s policies arealigning together.”

Bell said Northern Ireland is well catered for when it comes to mainstream lending but is in dire need of limited company buy-to-let products in particular.

He added: “There are fewer lenders in Northern Ireland but the mainstream stuff is fine.

“Whenever you go into the realms of credit impaired we do not have anything at all.

“One thing we don’t have out of here is options for limited company buy-to-let lending and we have been trying to persuade BM Solutions to get that on board.”