Vic Jannels has been appointed non-executive chair at the Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA). He stepped down from his role as chief executive officer (CEO) following the appointment of Adam Tyler at the start of the year. The newly created position will see Jannels retain a close link with the association, providing strategic support and continuity as the association enters its next phase of growth. During his six years as CEO, he played a key role in expanding the BDLA’s membership, strengthening its voice with regulators and policymakers, and supporting higher standards across the bridging and development finance sector.

Atom bank has made cuts to its near prime mortgages available to borrowers with small deposits. All products available at 90% LTV for both purchase and remortgage have been reduced by 0.10%, with rates starting from 5.64% for eligible customers. This is the second time Atom has reduced near prime rates this year, after making reductions of 0.10% to its 85% LTV product range. The reductions follow research from the bank at the end of 2025, which revealed that not only had brokers seen an increase in interest from clients with imperfect credit records, but they also expected further growth in enquiries from such borrowers in 2026.

HLPartnership (HLP) has introduced limited company buy-to-let (BTL) features within its CRM system to reduce administration and better support advisers managing an increasing volume of company structured BTL cases. Although limited company BTL has become a more prominent feature of the market, many mortgage CRM systems are built around personal borrower journeys, requiring advisers to adapt personal factfinds for company cases. This can result in rekeying information and managing portfolios outside the CRM. The new limited company BTL factfind within the HLP CRM has been deigned specifically around the company as the applicant, pulling key business details directly from Companies House to reduce entry and improve accuracy. Directors and shareholders are also directly linked to the company record.

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