Central and Mercantile Trust appoint new senior BDM

Specialist lending brands Central Trust and Mercantile Trust have expanded their internal operation by appointing a new senior business development manager (BDM) within the mortgage desk.

Nicola Hughff is joining the specialist lending brands from The Loans Partnership, where she spent over three years as a senior sales adviser. She has 18 years’ experience in financial services, having joined second charge lender Prestige Finance as an underwriter in 2004.

In her new role, Hughff will be responsible for identifying new relationships and building upon existing ones, driving quality of submission and overseeing referral trends analysis for future product evolvement. She will report to head of broker sales at Central and Mercantile Trust, Katie Wilsher.

Hughff commented: “My heart has always been in lending and the chance to come and work for Central and Mercantile has not only given me the opportunity to get back into lending but also to provide the platform to make a difference, as both businesses have huge aspirations for growth.

“I have mainly spent my career in the second charge sector so I am relishing the opportunity to be in the bridging and buy-to-let markets, supporting brokers by finding lending solutions that aid good customer outcomes for customers who otherwise remain underserved.”

Central Trust provides residential first and second charge mortgages, while Mercantile Trust offers bridging loan, buy-to-let & commercial mortgages.

The group’s director of commercial operations, Maeve Ward, added: “People buy people, and it’s hard not to buy into Nicola. She has a vast amount of experience in the specialist lending market across broking and lending and is full of personality.

“She puts service at the heart of everything she does and will go above and beyond to ensure the best possible customer journey. Nicola will be a great asset to both businesses.”

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