PRIMIS Mortgage Network has appointed Niamh Downey as its new regional sales director for the South East. She joins the firm from Bluestone and has over eight years’ experience in the mortgage industry, having worked for both distribution and lending businesses. Most recently at Bluestone, Downey played a role in supporting growth, broker engagement and proposition development, leading her to be appointed as head of business development in 2022.

Black & White Bridging (B&W) recently held its latest networking breakfast on 8 May at the Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire. ‘Breakfast for Brokers by Black & White Bridging’ brought together 18 local brokers from firms including Genie Lending, Abacus Finance and Advantage FS, with the aim of creating collaborations between B&W and South coast brokers. The event featured a market update from B&W and a presentation from guest speaker, Matt Gilks, who is head of planning at Lester Aldridge. The networking breakfast also allowed for brokers to present live deals and gain an instant review and terms with a lending manager or director.

Nottingham Building Society has opened a new flagship branch in Nottingham city centre. This is the first new branch opening by the society in eight years. The move comes as part of the mutual’s wider transformation strategy, which includes refocusing as a specialist residential lender, with a commitment to serve its savings customers via branch and digitally. It follows The Nottingham’s refreshed brand identity launch in 2024, which included the rebrand of its online savings app.

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