A quiet shift is underway in the UK mortgage market, and it is being driven by borrowers, not lenders. We are seeing more clients who are choosing to stay put, capital raise and improve and extend their homes, rather than move and pay more stamp duty and solicitor...

The sector is maturing and a more dynamic market means more ways to structure the right solution for the client The second charge market has always been known for its ability to provide solutions where mainstream lending falls short, but over the past 12 months the...

Brightstar Group is piloting a new initiative aimed at bringing Service Leavers and Veterans into the mortgage intermediary market, in partnership with Working in Mortgages. The programme, titled Mortgage Jobs for Heroes, has been developed to encourage Armed Forces...

The Brightstar Group has expanded its award-winning Young Learners Programme with the appointment of its first graduate apprentice, while also strengthening its national accounts team with a new internal business development manager. The group has hired Emma Burgess...

The Intermediary speaks with Andrew Cappaert, Group Head of National Accounts at Brightstar Financial, to discuss the ever-evolving landscape of specialist lending. Could you tell us a bit more about your role as Group Head of National Accounts at Brightstar...

The Brightstar Group will be marking and supporting Mental Health Awareness Week between 12th and 18th May, continuing to raise awareness and encourage openness across the business around the issue of mental health.   The Mental Health Foundation has hosted Mental...

As part of World Earth Day, the Brightstar Group has published its first ever ESG Report in what is believes will help set the benchmark for reporting on ESG within the Specialist Finance sector. The 2025 report shares significant insights in the achievements of the...

Second Charge Watch: Time to form a new habit You don’t need to be an expert in second charge mortgages to offer them to your clients — just to spot the opportunity.   ‘I don’t do second charges.’ It’s a phrase I continue to hear from brokers more often than...

William Lloyd-Hayward shares his perspective on the progress being made for LGBTQ+ employees and customers in Financial Services and opens up about his motivations behind the Pride in Finance Alliance (PIFA). The question of how much progress has been made when it...

The commercial property market, like the residential market, has faced a challenging 2023. However there are reasons to be positive as we look ahead to 2024. First, the market is becoming more competitive, rates have started to drop and we have seen the return of...

Interest rate rises earlier this year hit the Buy to Let market hard, given that affordability for these clients is based almost entirely on a direct calculation of the rental income compared to the monthly mortgage payments. However, lenders have responded with the...

Brokers have had many frustrations to deal with this year, with frequent rate changes to deal putting a squeeze on customer affordability. Another issue has been the length of time that some property transactions are taking to complete, with the protracted process...