Absolute Financial Group has appointed Jaspreet Dhariwal as chief compliance officer. She brings more than 18 years of experience to the role and will play a role in the IFA’s strategic growth plans, with a focus on overseeing its compliance framework, governance and risk management. Dhariwal joins from Verso, where she served as chief compliance and risk officer. She has previously held senior roles at firms including Vintage Wealth Management, The Oberon Group and Kingswood Group. Dhariwal will be responsible for Absolute’s overall risk management and compliance framework and will lead and strengthen governance, risk and compliance practices across the business.

Atom bank has reduced interest rates across its near prime mortgage range. All near prime products, for both purchase and remortgage purposes, have been reduced by 0.20% and the cuts apply with immediate effect, meaning that rates now start from 5.39% for those borrowing at up to 60% LTV. The update comes after Atom found that 93% of brokers had seen an increase in demand for near prime products during 2025, with 74% expecting further growth throughout 2026.

Luke Watson has been appointed as director of intermediary sales and lending at Recognise Bank. He brings over two decades of experience across commercial real estate lending, underwriting and credit risk to the role, with a track record of building and leading high-performance teams. Prior to joining Recognise Bank, Watson held senior leadership roles at Shawbrook Bank and Amicus Commercial Mortgages, as well as real estate lending roles at Aldermore and Santander. In his new role, he will focus on strengthening intermediary relationships, enhancing the bank’s lending proposition and delivering sustainable growth through high-quality credit.

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