Strong role for brokers and industry optimism at Complete FS Expo
28 September 2017
Optimism for the future of the specialist lending sector and the increasingly important role that brokers can play in the lending market were the overriding messages taken away by delegates at the Complete FS Expo, held at the Hilton Ageas Hotel near Southampton on the 21st September.
Greeted by a walk along a red carpet and a Hollywood Blockbuster theme, delegates were first able to pose for photographs with characters from Star Wars, including Darth Vader, as well as Jaws from the James Bond film franchise and screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, before the serious business of the day began.
After an opening keynote speech from FHL’s CEO, Hans Geberbauer, which set the tone, a packed auditorium of over 130 delegates was treated to a series of presentations from specialist lending providers including Roger Morris of Precise Mortgages, Marylen Edwards of Axis Bank, Laleta Buctaur of Together, Laura Sneddon of TML, Peter Turner from Shawbrook Bank and Karen Rodrigues of Vida Homeloans, who all echoed a strong message that intermediaries have never been better placed to provide clients with the right advice in an increasingly complex market.
The Expo was rounded off in the afternoon with a panel debate and Q&A made up of Keith Street from Northview Group, Marylen Edwards of Axis Bank, Alan Cleary of Precise Mortgages, Hans Geberbauer of FHL and Adrian Maloney of One Savings Bank debating the issues facing the BTL market in light of the PRA changes due to come into force on the 30th September.
Along with the seminars, visitors were able to attend over 30 exhibitor stands from lenders and other product providers in the specialist lending sector.
Tony Salentino, Director of Complete FS said, “Since we launched our first event 15 years ago, our Expos have become progressively more influential and now represent probably the best value in the South of England for brokers, who want to better understand the specialist lending market. We feel we have struck the right balance between the size of the event and the quality of exhibitors and speakers, which means that our Expo is small enough to allow everyone to get close to our exhibitors to have meaningful conversations, but important enough to attract ‘A’ list talent from the industry to speak and debate the current challenges which are facing brokers, like the imminent BTL changes.”
He added, “We strongly believe that there has never been more of a need for clients to seek the experience and advice that intermediaries offer. We are delighted to see that specialist lenders and packagers playing an increasingly vital role in supporting the intermediary service proposition and adding real value and expertise to their clients’ borrowing journey.”
