Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Peter Fitzgerald as chief investment officer, succeeding Kevin Doran, who will leave the group early next year. In his new role, Fitzgerald will oversee investment strategy and fund management across Scottish Widows and the recently acquired Schroders Personal Wealth business. He joins from Aviva Investors, where he served as chief investment officer, multi-asset and macro, leading a global team managing over £100bn in assets. Fitzgerald brings more than 25 years of expertise in multi-asset investing, macro strategy, and portfolio management, having held senior roles at BNP Paribas Wealth Management and Insinger de Beaufort.

Paragon Bank has extended its simplified buy-to-let mortgage application journey to cover HMOs and MUBs, making it easier for landlords with 15 or fewer properties to grow their portfolios. The enhancement expands Paragon’s proposition to deliver smarter mortgage applications for newer and smaller-scale landlords investing in these typically higher-yielding property types. The enhanced process is suitable for individual and limited company landlords with up to 15 properties, singling self-contained units, HMOs and MUBs, all at up to 75% LTV.

Mark Eastwood has been appointed as director of corporate sales at Together. He has worked in financial services for 36 years and has held senior leadership posts at some of the UK’s major banks for more than two decades. Eastwood will report to the property finance group’s managing director for corporate sales, Chris Baugley, to lead and expand its regional sales teams in the UK. This will initially include appointments in the South East, North East, Staffordshire and the West Midlands, with more hires expected in 2026.

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