What’s it like to be a Mortgage Adviser?

When do you work?
I have to be in the branch before it opens. My hours of work are 9-5 but I usually arrive earlier, have a cup of tea and check the diary to see what appointments are booked in. 

What do you do?
Appointments for mortgage interviews can come through from Customer Advisers in the branch, the Member Contact Centre and from people telephoning us direct. And if I get a spare moment, I’ll phone people who’ve made initial enquires to see if they’d like an appointment.

For every interview I do, there’s paperwork to complete. This is where it can get tricky. When it gets busy, I have appointments on the hour and have to fit in the paperwork as and when. That’s why I think you have to be really organised and self-disciplined in this role. The paperwork is really important and it has to be completed correctly. For every new application, I’ve got to put a file together of all the quotes as we have to comply with mortgage regulations.
 
For every application, we put all the information on the computer, get a Valuer in and complete credit checks, assess income and check the person’s identification. There’s a lot we have to make sure is correct before a mortgage can go out. A lot of people think it’s a simple matter of filling in a few forms and releasing a cheque – but it’s not!

Because I’m customer facing, I’ll often be the person the customer turns to if there’s a problem. This means I have to chase up what’s happened to their application after I’ve sent it to be processed. Obviously, buying a house can be quite stressful so I have to bear this in mind when I’m helping to resolve the query and put their mind at rest.

What training do you get?
To be able to do mortgage interviews on your own, providing advice and recommendations as opposed to just general information, you have to be a fully competent Mortgage Adviser. To do this you must pass the three CeMAP exams, complete a number of courses and be signed off under the Authorisation and Supervision Process.

You study for your CeMAP exams in your own time. The first exam is about Financial Services overall and the others focus more specifically on mortgages. The exams are multiple choice and are completed on the same touch screen technology the driving theory test uses. As well as becoming CeMAP qualified, an assessor will observe a number of your interviews, and when they’re satisfied you’re signed off as competent to give mortgage advice. Then you’re a fully competent Mortgage Adviser. With Yorkshire Building Society, you must reach this status within 18 months or you’re unable to carry on in the role. Realistically though, you’re able to do this much quicker - especially if you’re committed to studying.

Do you get incentives and rewards?
Everyone, both in the branch and the Member Contact Centre, is targeted on the number of mortgage interview leads generated. I’m more closely targeted on related sales. These include property insurance, mortgage payment insurance and life cover. There are often incentive bonus schemes based on team's performance. I enjoy this because we’re in competition with other branches and it’s quite good fun. If someone had said to me that sales was involved in this role, I would have said I couldn’t do it. But I can! To me it doesn’t really feel like selling. It’s about identifying and then satisfying a need. And that’s all part of good customer service.

Do you enjoy your role?
I really enjoy the fact I meet lots of different people. I’ve found that once I’ve done one mortgage for someone – they’ll come back and ask for me by name, which is nice. I may have helped someone with their first mortgage and they’ll come back to me when they’re then looking to buy a family home. However, sometimes you do end up dealing with the same people during their divorces! And that means you have to be sensitive and diplomatic.