Presentation is important, but it’s only surface-level. To be truly effective, it must be backed up by actions that demonstrate how an organisation is living up to its words. To that end, we are very proud to introduce our updated Newcastle for Intermediaries brand, not just for its new appearance but also for the concrete benefits it offers to our intermediary partners. As part of this, we have changed our name to ‘Newcastle for Intermediaries’, and adopted the tagline 'Powered by Partnership', which reflects our partnershipfirst approach. Something we genuinely believe in, and something we hope to demonstrate to you. From our broker forums and BDM relationship team, where we actively listen to your feedback to help shape our business in a way that better serves you. To our approach to manual underwriting and investment in technology, we are committed to helping you deliver those ‘feel-good’ moments to your clients. This is also demonstrated through our refreshed website, which has been designed to simplify doing business with us. The website provides daily updates on service levels as well as tools including an interactive product finder to identify suitable products faster, an enhanced criteria search tool, a Business Development Manager (BDM) finder, and a live chat facility to help you get to the people you need quicker. Created in partnership with brokers, the website demonstrates our dedication to innovation and streamlining the lending process. Alongside, prioritising our manual underwriting team and ensuring you have easy access to our experts. In terms of our products, we have always been at the forefront of innovation. We were among the first lenders to introduce a Deposit Unlock option, launch the First Homes scheme, and provide support to borrowers with Large Loan and high LTV propositions. Now, we look to continue this innovation with products tailored for the growing, expanding self-employed market in the UK. Self-employed is a label that covers many diverse types of borrowers; in fact, very often, the only thing self-employed people have in common is that they are not PAYE. From consultants to small retailers, sportspeople to tradesmen, self-employed individuals represent a broad spectrum of the economy and display unique preferences, levels of success, and personal circumstances. With over four million self-employed individuals in the UK , there is a significant opportunity for brokers to cater to this demographic. The landscape of this sector is also changing, with a growing number of people over 50 starting their businesses, despite an overall decrease in selfemployment since 2020 . Recent analysis by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) shows that the number of self-employed business owners aged 50 and above has increased to 1.1 million in 2023, which is 89,000 more than in 2020. This increase Supporting mortgage brokers through partnership 16 SPRING MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Francesco Di Pietro Head of Intermediary Mortgages Newcastle for Intermediaries
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