By Marie Grundy, Managing Director Second Charge, West One Loans
West One Loans, a leading provider of specialist mortgages and property finance, has boosted its second charge team with a series of new hires and promotions.
Lou Blair joins as Senior Underwriter from Bluestone Mortgages, where he spent four years following his move from Pepper Money.
In a career spanning 25 years, Lou has built up a wealth of experience having worked for both lenders and brokers covering second charge, residential and BTL mortgages, and bridging and commercial.
Operating alongside Lou will be Tara Lane and Amelia Dorey who have both been promoted to Senior Underwriter positions.
Meanwhile, Abby Hall has been appointed to the newly created role of Training and Development Manager, where she will be responsible for graduate training, talent progression and coaching.
A former Senior Underwriter at Pepper Money, Abby has also worked for the Morgage Advice Bureau and London & Country Mortgages.
Finally, Michael Halsey begins a new role at West One as second charge Business Development Manager for the South and South West.
Michael first joined the company four years ago and has previously enjoyed spells in the underwriting and servicing teams.
It has been an exciting year of growth for the second charge team at West One which has increased in size by more than 60%.
Across the industry, demand for second charge mortgages continues to rise. The latest figures from the Finance & Leasing Association show that lending volumes increased by 61% to over £1.3bn in the year to June.
Marie Grundy, Managing Director, Second Charge Mortgages said: "Demand for second charge mortgages is on the rise as more mortgage intermediaries are recognising that this type of borrowing can potentially deliver best advice for homeowners looking to capital raise without disturbing their existing mortgage arrangements.
“With increasing numbers of people coming to brokers with an interest in second charge loans, we’re working hard to help them find the best solutions for their clients.
“It has been a year of major growth for the second charge team and we have ambitious plans to continue building on what we do.
“Lou Abby and Michael are three fantastic additions and with Tara and Amelia’s promotions, we are further enhancing the knowledge, skills and experience we have in-house.”
Lou Blair, senior underwriter at West One Loans said: “West One has an excellent reputation as a lender capable of delivering solutions for a wide range of borrowers, even in the most complex of scenarios.
“This unique proposition is what attracted me to West One and it’s fantastic to be joining the business at such exciting time for the second charge market. The increase in demand means brokers need even greater support and guidance to find the right products and services for their clients, and I look forward to helping as many as possible.”
Abby Hall, training and development manager at West One Loans: “To support its exciting growth plans, the second charge team at West One is focused on nurturing and developing the very best talent.
“To have the opportunity to oversee that mission is a fantastic new challenge for me and I can’t wait to get started”
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