As lenders expand through multiple brands, brokers must adapt how they build and manage those partnerships
Multi-brand lending has become a familiar feature of the UK mortgage market, but it’s rarely the result of long-term planning. Instead, it often emerges through acquisition or market opportunity, subtly shifting how brokers and lenders interact in the process.
“I can’t think of any bank that’s done a multi-brand proposition by design,” said Darrell Walker, Group Sales Director at Chetwood Bank. “It’s generally happened organically, driven by opportunity.”
Chetwood Bank’s trajectory illustrates that point. The bank launched its own brand, ModaMortgages, and later acquired CHL Mortgages for Intermediaries to broaden its offering. While not unique, this kind of expansion raises new questions for brokers about how to manage lender relationships in a more fragmented environment.
More opportunity to say yes
Multi-brand lending, Walker said, allows lenders to broaden their reach and gives brokers more ways to get cases placed.
“The one thing I think a multi-brand does for you is that it gives you more opportunity to engage with brokers, it gives you more opportunity to help brokers, and it gives us more opportunity to say yes.”
This model also provides flexibility across asset classes. “If you look at the really successful ones, they’re generally spread across different asset classes,” he said. “So with different brands, you point and shoot.”
He recalls brokers approaching multi-brand lenders with specialist cases, not always knowing where they might land, “They would give us a call knowing, ‘Okay, I’ll start with one brand, but if that doesn’t work, you might be able to do it through another.’”
Know who does what, and how
For brokers, navigating these structures requires an understanding of how the brands operate internally. “Sometimes it’s one sales team, sometimes it will be a specialist sales team based on [the specialism],” Walker said.
Walker stresses that broker engagement is still key. “Lenders are particularly good at managing the broker relationship and helping the broker understand, ‘If you need help and support, either I can help you or one of my colleagues who’s an expert can.’”
He points to brand recognition as a potential stumbling block. “Some brokers would associate certain products with one brand, while others would think of a different one,” Walker said. “It really depended on the broker and the relationship we had. It was very much relationship driven.”
Navigating multi-brand structures efficiently
As brokers work across multiple lenders and brand portfolios, understanding how to streamline communication is increasingly important.
Walker suggests that having a single point of contact across a lender’s full offering can make a meaningful difference.
“If you’ve got someone who can talk to you about multiple asset classes and opportunities, one phone call is better than having to ring three or four different people,” he said.
He advises brokers to stay proactive about understanding a lender’s full range, not just the brand they use most often. “It’s about knowing what they do, how they do it, and how it fits with your business.”
What’s next for broker-lender partnerships
Walker expects the multi-brand trend to continue, with lenders expanding both organically and through acquisition. “You can’t afford to stand still,” he said. “It’s the same for a broker.”
Some of that growth will come through adjacent markets. “Bridging and semi-commercial nicely complement a buy-to-let proposition, especially for portfolio or professional landlords,” he said.
But while lenders evolve, broker understanding of multi-brand platforms still varies. “I do think brokers sometimes treat each lender brand as entirely separate,” said Walker. “But some of that is probably more on the lender than the broker.”
The challenge, he explains, is visibility. “You’ll regularly see a broker using one brand heavily, while ignoring another under the same umbrella. Sometimes they’re just not aware. Sometimes it’s not a space they’re active in.”
His advice is to stay engaged, ask questions, and make full use of your relationships. “A good BDM team should be helping educate that broker. You might not think you do bridging, but chances are, deals are coming across your desk and you’re not realising.”
Ultimately, he said, it comes back to awareness. “Know exactly what each lender does, how they operate, what asset classes they’re in, and where they can help you run more business.”
