The Intermediary – January 2026 - Flipbook - Page 29
S TAT E O F T H E N AT I O N
Feature
doubling down on the areas AI cannot replicate
like rapport, judgement, and hands-on support.
That includes helping clients navigate surveys,
understand risks, prepare for bids, and connect
with trusted professionals around the edges of
David Latimer
Managing director
DL Mortgage Services Ltd
Sale
the transaction.
For DL Mortgage Services,
Technology plays a role in streamlining
the past year has proven
administration, but the human touch remains
the value of straight-
central to our proposition.
talking, human advice in
Looking ahead, the market appears
a market that often feels
fundamentally resilient, with strong underlying
increasingly automated
demand. Sellers seem to be becoming more
and impersonal. Our work
realistic, and there is a sense of steady
continues to centre on
momentum returning.
residential purchases,
remortgages and product transfers, alongside
Edward Checkley
protection.
First-time buyers remain both a challenge and
Managing director
an opportunity. Rising rents are pushing many
Private Finance
towards home ownership, yet saving for a deposit
London
is harder than ever. That’s where clear, practical
2025 was stable in
advice really matters, helping clients understand
many respects. We didn’t
their options and find routes around the
have any huge market
obstacles and onto the ladder. At the same time,
shifts affecting rates
the buy-to-let market has faced ongoing pressure
overnight and we actually
which has influenced investor confidence and
started to see rates
activity.
coming down.
At Private Finance, we
specialise in complex,
One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen is the gap
left as local bank branches continue to close.
People still want to sit down, ask questions and
large loans solutions, generally for higher earners
feel supported, and we’re well placed to offer that
and we find there’s demand whether markets are
personal service, whether face to face or over the
good or bad, because we’re offering solutions that
phone. Clients with complex cases, in particular,
the average bank or broker can’t.
2025 was an exciting year, we had some great
hires and landed some big, complex transactions.
benefit from advice that looks beyond a simple
score or tick-box approach.
Looking ahead, improving affordability and
Our industry is all about people and if you get
falling rates should bring renewed confidence,
great people and you support them, then they’ll
especially among first-time buyers. While
do well.
developing technologies will play a role in the
Our focus is on sharing knowledge and
year ahead, our focus remains on relationships,
enhancing processes through technology to
accessibility and service, because real advice is
enable our brokers to do a great job.
built on listening, not clicks.
●
There were some positive changes in lender
criteria last year and I hope to see that continue
in 2026.
Complex and specialist lenders were saying
we’re not going to compete on rate, because we
can’t, but we’re going to do better expat lending,
or we can do better self-build lending, or we’re
going to open up income multiples.
There’s a lot of pent-up demand in the market,
so we’re expecting an increase in volumes this
year. A lot of people were waiting on the sidelines
last year but now the budget is out of the way, and
the base rate has dropped, I expect buyers to take
action.
January 2026 | The Intermediary
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