www.paradigm.co.uk/mortgages PARADIGM MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2025
CONTENTS 4 Paradigm Mortgage Services Introduction from Paradigm Richard Howes 8 IMLA Removing Arbitrary Restrictions would boost Homeownership - and Growth 10 Accord Mortgages Affordability Uncovered: What's Holding First-Time Buyers Back in 2025 and Why? 12 Saffron Building Society Unlocking Homeownership through Self and Custom Build Mortgages 16 Nationwide Neuroinclusion: What Does it mean for Brokers, Colleagues and Customers?
FOR INTERMEDIARY USE ONLY Aldermore Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 204503). Registered Office: Apex Plaza, Forbury Road, Reading, RGl lAX. Registered in England. Company No. 947662. Invoice Finance, Commercial Mortgages, Property Development, Buy-To-Let Mortgages and Asset Finance lending to limited companies are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or Prudential Regulation Authority. Asset Finance lending where an exemption within the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 applies, is exempt from regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority or Prudential Regulation Authority. ARM1017-0124-900538. Team up with mortgage specialists who know what it takes to deliver for you and your clients. More expert partners Speak to your Business Development Manager today. aldermore.co.uk/intermediaries/mortgages
Hello, and welcome to the summer edition of our Newsletter. Can I start by saying a heartfelt thank you to everyone either directly or indirectly involved in Paradigm Mortgage services. We produced our audited final results for the year ended 31 March 2025 and in terms of mortgage completions we produced some excellent results. Paradigm Mortgages participated in mortgage completions totaling £14.2 billion (2024: £13.1bn), an 8.1% increase year on year and couldn’t have done it without the support of our broker partners and lenders, so thank you! There seems to be much going on in both the housing and lending markets currently it’s difficult to pick one topic to focus on. Regulation, the market, lender ingenuity, lender appetite, pricing, fraud, risk, climate change etc. are all front and center currently in our world. In some ways, one can’t help feeling we are heading back to 2007 with some of what is happening, unbelievably that was the year that saw the launch of the first iPhone, the publication of the final Harry Potter book, and the launch of Google Street View. In 2025 we now have lenders going up the LTV curve with two lenders offering 100% mortgages, with April mortgages making the biggest and most impressive noise in this area, but we also have many lenders now offering 97.5% loans. NatWest are back in private ownership despite costing the tax payer £10bn overall to be rescued! In addition there seems to be a new look at interest-only mortgages to make homeownership more affordable. This was among the topics debated by industry professionals recently at a roundtable ahead of the launch of the regulator’s discussion paper on affordability and access to borrowing. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) consultation on the simplification of its lending rules is about to end and a debate around alternative affordability tests, innovation and responsible risk taking is set to begin. Already, we’ve seen big names from the high street – including Barclays, Nationwide and Santander – make changes to their affordability stress tests to allow households to borrow more. And now, among the discussions of where to go next, the idea of using interest-only to ease the affordability burden has resurfaced. We will see how this pans out. If we look at some of the key themes mentioned above continuing with regulation: It was announced there would be no fees for mortgage advisers maintained as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) drops the levy to £356m. Mortgage intermediaries will not be required to pay an annual levy to the FSCS for 2025/26, as no new firm failures are expected. In its spring outlook, the FSCS said compensation payments were forecast to be around £250,000 and applied to failures that had already happened. Whilst that is good news, a more concerning area is the FCA’s proposed changes to mortgage rules which many feel could undermine consumer duty, according. Its consultation paper on its Mortgage Rule Review it suggests it wishes to make it Richard Howes Director of Mortgages Paradigm Mortgage Market Update 04 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER
easier, faster, and cheaper for consumers to speak to mortgage lenders. It clearly overlooks the role of mortgage advisers and put simply the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) says “You simply cannot deliver the consumer duty by removing advice.” They go onto say, “The duty requires firms to act in ways that deliver good outcomes, support consumer understanding, and empower effective decision-making, none of which are achieved by steering borrowers away from personal advice. The proposals set out by the FCA go in the opposite direction.” At Paradigm we can’t help but agree, it appears there has been intense lobbying in this area by the big banks who perhaps are not comfortable with over 90% of mortgages being transacted through mortgage brokers and are maybe looking for a way to claw back share into their direct arms, or through a cheaper distribution route such as aggregators. Indeed to this last distribution area, be aware some lenders are dual pricing through their separate brands on these sites which might not get picked up on, but it is an area we are watching as it penalises brokers when trying to get the best deals for their clients. Our CEO Bob Hunt has written an excellent article in this regard, and it can be found here: https://www.paradigm.co.uk/blog/ execution-only-or-consumer-duty-ofcare.html Looking at the market, there does not appear to be any let up in activity either through the lens of a broker or lender. I am sure this is helped by average mortgage pricing being sub-5% and continuing to decline, according to Rightmove. Average mortgage rates for two- and five-year fixed rates are under 5%, with the cheapest rates coming to sub-4%, figures show. I am sure the annual rate of house price growth which increased marginally in May 05 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Continued on next page... to 3.5% according to Nationwide’s latest house price index, with a 3.2% rise reported by the Halifax helps this momentum. The Nationwide’s chief economist Robert Gardner said: “Mortgage approvals data suggests that market activity appears to be holding up well following the end of the stamp duty holiday.” Recent research from 27Tech also backs this up with market activity high in May. Total search volumes rose strongly month on month, and product availability reached a new record high of more than 25,000 live options on their platform. By way of a snapshot they reported in May 2025, compared to April 2025: • Total searches up 12.3% • Purchase mortgage searches (nonFTB) were up 5.2% • Remortgage searches were up 7.6% • Buy To Let purchase mortgage searches were up 4.3% • Buy To Let remortgage searches were up 7.3% The 13th May set a new record, with advisers generating 30,120 ESIS documents in a single day – nearly double the average daily volume seen so far this year. Perhaps this activity is dovetailing into the recent Government activity against the backdrop of their desire to build 1.5m homes by 2030. Indeed in the recent spending review they announced £39bn investment in affordable and social housing. Both the homelessness charity Crisis and the National Housing Federation saw this as excellent news with Crisis describing the pledge as a "determined political signal that housing really matters" and the NHF saying “the £39bn investment is "transformative". I couldn’t help but smile recently when reading around the 1.5 million homes target of an unintended consequence of this desire where an historic village in Cambridge has a plan - already granted permission - to add 153 new homes to the existing community of 350 houses.
06 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Offers resulting in completion remained stable at 76%, while the conversion ratio of full application to completion was recorded at 68%, continuing its gradual upward trend. Some of the strongest increases in activity were recorded by advice firms with one or two advisers. This category of firms beat the industry average for DIP accepts, resulting in a full application achieving 78% following a seven percentage point rise quarter-on-quarter, compared to 74% across the board. Strong results by one- and two-person brokerages were also recorded for full applications, resulting in an offer with a conversion rate of 90%, an 8% rise on the previous quarter. Brokers and the market seem busy with many opportunities available and this includes the, perhaps, bruised and battered, but certainly not down, BTL market. The two areas focusing the mind in BTL, that is the Renters Reform Bill and EPC ratings have again been in the news. In terms of the latter, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) referred to a recent consultation put out by the government that said that, where possible, every private rented home should have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least C. It has been suggested that this will be confirmed late next year, with a deadline of 2028 for new tenancies and 2030 for existing tenancies. The NRLA said this would leave landlords just two years to make the two-and-ahalf million private rented homes that do not currently meet this standard more sustainable. The trade association said it supported the objectives, but the “timelines proposed are simply unrealistic”. It said this was primarily because of a “chronic shortage” of available tradespeople. Interestingly, for the first time it is claimed Landlords can force tenants to pay for insulation demanded by Ed Miliband the Energy Secretary. In a recent House of Commons exchange between the Government and Opposition, Unfortunately, the local sewage works has been over capacity for years, and there is no sign of it being upgraded soon so a choice is looming over what to do if the planned new homes are built. Leave them standing empty, waiting for upgrades to the wastewater treatment system before they are connected? Or connect them anyway and let people move in - contributing towards Buckinghamshire Council's target for new homes, but increasing the sewage pollution of the nearby river, the Great Ouse? It was great to read that mortgage brokers enjoyed a successful start to the year in terms of business levels according to the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association’s (IMLA’s) latest market report. It showed a recovery in average business levels from 80 cases per year in Q4 2024 to 95 cases per year, the long-term trend, during the first three months of the year.
Landlords will be able to pass on the cost of upgrading rental properties to tenants, the Government has admitted. A minister has now said there are grounds for “higher market rents”. Sarah Sackman a justice minister, has now admitted to Parliament that the cost of upgrading properties can legally be passed onto renters, paving the way for significant rises over the next five years. The Renters Reform Bill has now completed its committee stage in the House of Lords – no significant amendments have been made. The “Report Stage” is expected in early June, following which the Bill will return to the House of Commons. It does now seem to be on track to receive Royal Assent before the summer recess starts on 22nd July. We have recently recorded an interview with Louisa Sedgwick Managing Director of Paragon Bank on this which also looks at the proposed changes in the EPC area, which dare I say is an excellent representation of what the bill is setting out to do and the effect on landlords, tenants, and brokers. It is well worth a listen and can be found on our CPD Academy (Focus Session: Buy-toLet). Indeed we have recently had some great contributions from the Bank of England, CIFAS (regarding fraud), and an AI specialist. You can find recordings of many of these sessions on our CPD Academy also, under Fraud Awareness Webinar, and are great for keeping up with market activity and being informed. On the subject of contributions, I would like to thank those lenders and IMLA who have contributed to this newsletter. We have again covered areas that we hope are of interest and perhaps allow you to look at the market or a lender for the first time or to be reacquainted! However, if there are areas you would like us to look at for future editions we would be delighted to hear from you. 07 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER EVENTS Register Here Paradigm Online: Regional Building Societies & Flexible Lending 8th July 2025 Edinburgh Mortgage and Protection workshop 21st August 2025 Paradigm Online: Complex BTL opportunities 9th September 2025 Southampton Mortgage and Protection workshop 10th September 2025 Paradigm Online: Lender Updates - Mortgage 23rd September 2025 Norwich Mortgage and Protection workshop 24th September 2025
Last summer, the new government came into power with five manifesto ‘missions’ to rebuild Britain. The first mission was to secure the highest sustained economic growth in the G7: “with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.” Given the current global and domestic economic challenges, that mission looks improbable, if not impossible. However, the housing market is one part of the economy that could generate real growth. Whether or not the target 1.5 million new homes will be built by 2030 – which would be a major economic stimulus – remains to be seen. But growth could be achieved by altering some of the restrictions around mortgage lending to make housing finance more readily available. In the UK, most young adults aspire to own their own home. According to research published by the Building Societies Association in April, 65% of prospective first-time buyers cite mortgage affordability as the greatest barrier to buying a home, while 42% say the inability to get a large enough mortgage is the biggest obstacle. Early this year, the government asked the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to seek ways of relaxing regulation to promote economic growth. In March, the FCA declared that lenders were being too stringent in the way they ‘stress test’ mortgage applications, with many checking that borrowers could still afford their mortgage if it were priced at their Standard Variable Rate plus a margin of up to 3%. Some of the larger lenders have recently begun soften their approach to stress testing, which they calculate should allow them to lend to tens of thousands more first-time buyers. This is a significant step in the right direction. The additional 3% stress test was introduced by the Financial Policy Committee in 2014. It was removed in August 2022 – and while some lenders might have wanted to remove it from their underwriting at that point, the impact on interest rates of the Truss/Kwarteng “fiscal event” will have given many pause. The fact that lenders are now reviewing their approach is an encouraging sign that the extreme volatility created nearly three years ago has settled down. The other measure introduced by the FPC in 2014 was the Loan to Income (LTI) lending limit, which remains in force. It restricts lending at or above 4.5 times income to no more than 15% of mortgage lenders’ advances if they lend more than £100m a year. This effectively rations the number of loans that are available to borrowers who have already satisfied the lender’s affordability tests. Removing arbitrary restrictions would boost homeownership – and growth 08 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Kate Davies Executive Director Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association
IMLA has long argued that the limit is arbitrary, and that increasing or scrapping it would boost lending to first-time buyers, single purchasers and those on moderate incomes. Given that the average house price to income ratio in the UK is 8:1, many homebuyers, particularly those in London and the south-east, need to borrow more than 4.5 times their income. The mortgage industry has coalesced around the arguments for reviewing the LTI, but the FPC has not yet shifted its position. Instead, it has concentrated on raising the £100m lending threshold at which the rule kicks in to £150m. But this will have little or no bearing on the market given that it will affect only a small number of lenders which currently fall outside scope. So what was the rationale behind the introduction of the LTI limit? The Financial Stability Report of December 2021 claimed that, when the economy experiences declines, highly indebted households are more likely to cut spending sharply, “amplifying downturns, increasing the risk of losses to lenders on all forms of lending and reducing incomes throughout the economy.” The LTI policy was intended to guard against the risk of such a build-up of excessive household indebtedness. However, recent academic research suggests there is no robust correlation between levels of debt and household spending patterns. One particularly influential paper* found strong evidence that homeowners who had previously lived beyond their means, those who were more optimistic about future income prospects and those who made a large ticket purchase (such as a car) shortly before a downturn, subsequently cut back their expenditure. It concluded: “It follows that high household debt-to-income ratios in themselves contain little or no information about risks of a spending fall associated with household indebtedness”. This undermines the very premise on which the LTI limit was introduced. It is difficult to measure the precise impact the LTI limit has had on the landscape, but it may well have contributed to the 3.1m shortfall in first-time buyer numbers since the 2008 financial crisis, revealed in IMLA’s Mortgage Affordability Paradox report of 2024. Our research revealed that, despite strong affordability during the ultra-low interest rate years from 2013 to 2022, firsttime buyer numbers failed to pick up to anything like the level previous trends would have suggested. Homeownership is fundamental to national economic growth – and the long-term cost to individual consumers of not purchasing a home is extraordinary. As IMLA’s report on The Intergenerational Divide in the Housing and Mortgage Markets (2019) explained, even assuming no house price growth for the next 30 years, someone buying an average home, initially with a 25 year 95% LTV repayment mortgage, could be £352,000 better off than someone who continues to rent privately. At current rates, we are storing up problems for the future. If households are still renting into retirement, increasing numbers are likely to be unable to pay private sector rents without significant financial support from the government. At IMLA, we believe that much more attention needs to be paid to the financial implications for households that are unable to become homeowners. During these economically constrained times, the government may be loath to consider spending money on support schemes such as Help to Buy, Stamp Duty discounts or boosting shared ownership. But revising or removing the LTI limits is a simple – and cost-free – option which could open the door to homeownership, security of tenure and improved financial stability for a significant number. *Household Debt Overhang Did Hardly Cause a Larger Spending Fall during the Financial Crisis in the UK by Lars E.O. Svensson. 09 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER
Buying your first home has always come with challenges, but in 2025, first-time buyers are facing an especially tough environment, and affordability remains one of the biggest hurdles facing many. Mortgage rates in the UK have moved from historic lows to postpandemic highs in a short space of time. And whilst interest rates are coming down, there are other challenges such as rising property prices and the cost of living. On the other hand, there are many areas where some myth-busting is very much needed. Particularly, within the first-time buyer market, many potential buyers assume they can’t afford to buy without exploring all options or talking to a mortgage adviser. I, for one, was one of those people. Back when I was at university, owning a home felt completely out of reach. With a thin credit file and no ‘bank of mum and dad’ to fall back on, I didn’t think getting on the property ladder was even an option. However, there are a few government schemes available, and lenders are becoming increasingly innovative in supporting first-time buyers. Seeking expert advice can make a real difference in navigating these options and getting onto the property ladder sooner. As an industry, we have an important role to play in educating and engaging clients early in their journey. By shifting perceptions and providing clear guidance, we can better support them in turning their homeownership dreams into reality. What are the main affordability barriers? High Property Prices The UK is facing a supply and demand imbalance in its housing sector, which is a big driver behind escalating property prices. House prices have outpaced wage growth in many areas, making it harder for buyers to afford deposits and monthly payments. As of early 2025, the data shows, there has been an annual price rise of 5.4%, which makes the average house price in the UK valued at £268k. High Interest Rates While rates have decreased from their peak in 2023, they remain elevated compared to pre-minibudget. Higher rates have led to increased monthly repayments, affecting affordability for many borrowers. Higher rates have also impacted the stress tests that lenders apply when assessing mortgage affordability. However, recent FCA guidelines on stress testing meant that many lenders, including Accord, have reduced the background stress tests and improved the affordability model. The following example illustrates how the new Accord’s affordability model can make a real difference for potential borrowers: Affordability uncovered: What’s holding First-Time Buyers back in 2025 and why early education and engagement are key. 10 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Angelika Christian Strategic Partnerships & Propositions Manager Accord Mortgages
11 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Products, and shared ownership. However, many clients are not aware of some of these options available to them. This is why education and early engagement with clients become so important. I believe there’s also a great opportunity for advisers to challenge affordability myths by leveraging their existing client relationships, particularly those who know someone who is preparing to buy their first home and encourage them to refer their friends or family to seek professional advice. Social media also offers a powerful platform to share insights and connect with aspiring buyers early in their journey. And if you are not a social media expert, Accord’s Growth Series has a lot of supporting and useful content that can help scale up your business and run a successful and engaging social media channel. The bottom line Solving the affordability challenges isn’t the job of one group. It requires collaboration across the mortgage industry. Lenders must continue to be creative and offer innovative solutions. Mortgage advisers are more essential than ever, not just for advice, but for advocacy and educating clients about options they might not realise are available. The earlier clients understand their options and what’s required, the sooner they can take meaningful steps toward owning a home. Policymakers can shape a future where supply meets demand (maybe that’s just my wishful thinking) and buying a home doesn’t require generational wealth. Cost of Living While inflation rates have moderated compared to the peaks of 2022, many households continue to feel financial pressures. With energy, food and other essentials becoming more expensive, many buyers struggle to save enough for a deposit or prove they can afford the mortgage. Why is early education and engagement key? In such a complex and shifting environment, early education and proactive engagement are critical in empowering first-time buyers to make informed decisions and overcome some of the perceived barriers to homeownership. By starting the conversation sooner, advisers and industry professionals can tackle misconceptions early. For example, many first-time buyers believe they need a large deposit. However, several lenders have recently introduced innovative mortgage products that require little to no deposit. At Accord, we have just celebrated our first-year anniversary of the £5K Deposit Mortgage. One year on, and we’ve already helped more than 800 people into their own first homes. Designed with firsttime buyers in mind, it offers a fantastic opportunity for clients to take their first step towards owning their dream home, shaving years off their deposit saving time. There are many more solutions for those struggling with affordability, such as: Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor, Income Boost We've improved our affordability Property Price: £500,000 Requested Term: 30 Years Applicant 1 Income: £50,000 Applicant 2 Income: £50,000 Monthly Committed £2,000 Debt Repayments: Adults: 2 Dependants: 0 Scenario 1 Max. Borrowing £440,254 Previous: £384,721 Difference £55,533 Property Price: £300,000 Requested Term: 30 Years Applicant 1 Income: £40,000 Applicant 2 Income: £20,000 Monthly Committed £800 Debt Repayments: Adults: 2 Dependants: 2 Scenario 2 Max. Borrowing £260,488 Previous: £223,350 Difference £37,138 How much more could your clients borrow? Find out more about our Affordability at www.accordmortgages.com Information correct as at 30 April 2025 and subject to change.
Unlocking homeownership through self and custom build mortgages 12 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER By Saffron Building Society Marketing Team The UK housing market is facing serious pressure. The government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes by 2030, but with only 200,000 delivered last year, supply continues to fall short of demand. Traditional housebuilding methods are struggling to keep up, hindered by planning delays, rising costs, and limited land availability. The potential of self and custom build Whilst it’s a powerful route to delivering more homes, it’s not been used to its potential. The UK builds just 14,000 selfcommissioned homes a year, so barely making a contribution to those all important targets. Our research shows strong interest among younger generations, with 64% of 18–24-year-olds open to the idea of self or custom build. What holds many back isn’t the desire, but the perception that it’s too complex or financially out of reach. That’s beginning to change, and lenders like Saffron are helping to open more doors for borrowers. Mortgage support designed for flexibility Saffron’s self and custom build mortgages are built around real-world needs. We understand that no two projects are the same, and to broaden appeal even further - flexibility is key. Our product features include: • Support for a range of development types, including knockdown and rebuild projects, ground-up construction, modern methods of construction (MMC), and other non-standard developments that may be overlooked by mainstream lenders. • Stage-release funding, with money made available as the build progresses through key milestones, such as land purchase, foundations, and final sign-off. • Maximum loan amount, increased from £4 million to £5 million, to provide more flexibility for larger or more ambitious builds. • Manual underwriting, allowing us to take a case-by-case view and properly assess the borrower’s goals, not just the numbers. • Interest-only payments during construction, helping borrowers manage costs during the build period before switching to standard repayment terms. • Support for a wide range of build types, including timber frame homes, modular construction, eco builds, and renovation or conversion projects. Supporting First-Time Buyers Custom and self-build isn’t just for experienced homeowners or big budget projects. For first-time buyers, this can be a practical way to get on the ladder. Designing and building your own home often works out cheaper than buying a comparable newbuild property, and gives far more control over layout, features, and energy efficiency.
We welcome first-time buyers and make sure they’re not excluded simply because their project is different. Our team looks at the potential of each proposal and helps guide buyers through what can be a more involved, but rewarding, journey. Early repayment charge-free options In uncertain times, flexibility matters more than ever. That’s why we continue to offer ERC-free options for eligible borrowers. This gives them the freedom to refinance or repay early without penalties; a key advantage for those whose financial circumstances might evolve over the course of a complex build. A market opportunity for intermediaries Brokers are in a great position to grow their business by opening up this part of the market. Self and custom build mortgages may seem complex at first, but with the right tools and a supportive lender, they can become a valuable part of any broker’s service offering. We provide: • Access to real decision-makers • Clear affordability guidance • A detailed Self & Custom Build Guide • Help with unusual or non-standard cases • A team with years of experience in nonstandard cases With growing interest from younger generations, this market is only going to expand. Helping clients navigate their options isn’t just good service, it’s a smart strategy. Removing the roadblocks Finally, a few key systemic things need to change. We need simpler planning processes, especially for serviced plots. Better public understanding is also essential and can be easily achieved through clearer messaging that self-build is achievable for ordinary buyers. Finally, we need more collaboration across the industry, with brokers, builders, lenders, and policymakers working together. At Saffron, we’re committed to making it easier. Our Self & Custom Build Guide and direct support throughout make the process more transparent and less daunting for borrowers and brokers alike. A real story: Home grown in Norfolk We recently worked with a high-net worth individual and one of the UK’s top lawyers, to help them undertake a premium redevelopment of an end-of-terrace Kensington property. At £4.8 million, the loan exceeded Saffron’s standard maximum amount (£4 million), however, Saffron’s underwriting team took an open-minded and solutions-focused approach, working closely with the broker to navigate internal committees and secure an override on the loan cap. Despite challenges along the way, including a down valuation, the case was completed at 70% LTV – a testament to both Saffron’s flexibility and its commitment to supporting complex cases in collaboration with trusted intermediary partners. It’s the kind of outcome that defines what self-build should be about. Let’s build something better The housing challenges we face won’t be solved by small changes. We need new ways to think about building and owning homes. Self and custom build can be a big part of that solution. At Saffron for Intermediaries, we believe in embracing different. Join us in the push to maximise the opportunity self and custom build brings. Visit www. saffronforintermediaries.co.uk or download our Self & Custom Build Guide. 13 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER
12 WINTER MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Built for brokers: Self-build with Saffron Visit our website to find out more or call us on 01799 582925. Embracing different At Saffron, our Self-Build range is designed to suit almost any type of project – from modest renovations to ground-up builds. With our criteria, we’re delivering smarter Self-Build lending, shaped brick by brick. Here are some ways we can help: Maximum loan size up to £4 million (higher loans considered) Now consider most accredited modern methods of construction Support for knockdowns, rebuilds, renovations and conversions We still have ERC free options Consider first-time buyers
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Neuroinclusion: What Does It Mean for Brokers, Colleagues, and Customers? 16 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Gemma Clark Intermediary Proposition Manager Nationwide Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that refers to the natural variation in how people think, process information and behave. Forms of neurodivergence include, but are not limited to, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette Syndrome and ADHD. People who are not neurodiverse can be referred to as neurotypical. It’s estimated that between 1 in 5 and 1 in 7 people in the UK are neurodivergent—that’s around 13 million individuals, or 15–20% of the population (The Donaldson Trust, 2025). Neuroinclusion is the creation of an environment and a culture that embraces and accommodates everyone, including both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals. What can you do to create environments where neurodivergent colleagues and customers feel comfortable, understood, and included? • Disclosure: In order to meet people’s support needs, you need to understand what they are. To do this you need to create an environment where colleagues and customers feel safe to talk to you. It is essential to focus on individuals’ support needs and preferences, not the underlying reason for them. Things to consider: ◊ How can you encourage people to share their needs in a way that feels safe and supportive? ◊ How do you reassure people that you will respond to those needs in a positive way? ◊ How do you tailor your products, services and workplaces to meet those individual needs? • Conversations: One of the most powerful ways to support everyone is to ask simple, inclusive questions. For example, “Are there any adjustments I can make to support you through this process?”. This isn’t necessarily just at the start of a relationship or conversation but should be something you are mindful of in all interactions with both customers and colleagues. • Respond: If a colleague or customer chooses to tell you about a preference or a need, it is imperative that you respond even if the request is something that cannot be accommodated. Failure to respond can make people feel unheard or as if their needs are not important which can relationships and build mistrust. If a request cannot be accommodated, an explanation should be given and alternative support options should be explored. • Awareness: With up to 20% of people potentially being neurodivergent, how do you make sure you recognise and respond to their needs and preferences? Consider: ◊ Awareness training for colleagues. ◊ Using research and insight to improve understanding of barriers and potential
17 MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER harms. ◊ Using lived experience experts particularly when developing, changing or withdrawing processes, products and services. For Colleagues, Customers and Culture • One size doesn’t fit all: What works for one person may not work for another— but starting the conversation is key. • Supportive practices: Could you build a library of interventions that support both customers and colleagues? • Specialist training: Just as you train for debt support or later life needs, could you train specialist brokers to support neurodivergent customers? • Build knowledge and understanding: in order to create an inclusive environment you need to be prepared to listen, to learn and to think differently. Being curious and listening to others are key components of neuroinclusion. The Opportunity Many of the adjustments that are made to support neurodivergent people benefit everyone for example, clearer communication or allowing more time. The impact of embedding neuroinclusion is beneficial for customers, colleagues and companies alike: • Greater loyalty from customers who feel seen and supported. • Stronger engagement from colleagues who feel valued and understood. • A diverse workplace which challenges stereotypical norms and helps to ensure products and services are truly inclusive. • A culture which embraces, understands and champions neurodiversity.
www.paradigm.co.uk/mortgages 0330 053 6061 [email protected]
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