The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 62
RESIDENTIAL
Opinion
The H1 benchmark
and outlook for H2
I
f there’s one thing our H1 2025
Mortgage Lender Benchmark
made clear, it’s that broker
expectations are rising. In the
first half of the year, brokers
told us what’s working, what’s
not, and which lenders are geing it
right. I’ve pulled out some of the key
signals from our H1 2025 Mortgage
Lender Benchmark, so we can take a
look at what they might tell us about
what’s coming in H2.
H1 signals not to ignore
Satisfaction is up and
at a four-year high
Overall broker satisfaction rose again
to 4.22 out of 5, the highest since
2020. That might sound small, but
in a fast-moving market, even small
gains show real progress in brokers’
everyday experience.
A clearer view of the
broker journey
We introduced the Broker Experience
Index, which combines scores for
speed, service, digital tools and
support. It debuted at 70.6. Building
societies top the table at 71.5, with
mainstream lenders just behind
at 71.4. The takeaway? The best
performers come from blending
people, processes and tech, not relying
too heavily on any one of them.
Most brokers are
recommending lenders
The average Net Promoter Score
(NPS) for all lenders rose to +40.9,
up 5.0 points from H2 2024. This
means more brokers are willing to
recommend their go-to lenders – a
strong sign of consistent and
reliable performance.
Standout performers show what
‘good’ looks like
The Intermediary | November 2025
Scale you can trust
This edition captured feedback from
1,111 brokers across 600 firms, covering
134 lenders, and representing 98%
of UK gross mortgage lending. That
breadth gives us confidence we’re
seeing the full story and gives lenders
confidence to act.
Looking to H2
Brokers named Halifax as the best
mainstream lender and Principality
Building Society as the best building
society – the laer retaining its toprated H2 2024 status.
Canada Life led later life lending,
Pepper Money topped specialist – also
retaining its H2 2024 status.
Elsewhere, BM Solutions led buy-tolet (BTL), Allica Bank headed bridging
or commercial, and LendInvest
was recognised as the best ‘digital
first’ lender.
While these lenders have different
specialisms, they all share the same
winning approach – delivering
consistency and seamless experiences.
The broker journey: People, processes and tech are all key factors in smoothing the way
60
JAKE SANDFORD
is head of data and analytics
at Smart Money People
We’ve just finished gathering broker
feedback for the H2 2025 Lender
Benchmark – due in early December
2025. Here are five questions we’re
looking forward to seeing feedback on:
1. Speed versus certainty: With service
improving, do brokers now value
predictability over case speed?
What lenders are geing the
balance right?
2. Digital done right: Which tools
really cut down on re-keying and
admin – like pre-submission checks
or live case updates – and which
ones just add extra steps?
3. Handling complex cases: In
later life, buy-to-let and complex
credit, who’s combining clear
underwriting with human support
when it maers?
4.People power: How are lenders
making business development
manager access and case ownership
easier, especially on tricky cases?
5. Retention and product transfers:
Are existing borrower journeys
keeping up with new business
processes, or is there a service gap?
We’re looking forward to revealing
what brokers really think about
lenders for H2 2025. ●
