April Mortgages has appointed James Pagan as its new director of product & portfolio management, as its looks to continue “delivering greater peace of mind” in the UK mortgage market. The firm offers fixed rates across five to 15 year terms and up to a maximum of 95% LTV. The borrower’s interest rate will drop accordingly when the borrower drops into lower LTV band, whether through repaying the mortgage or house price growth. Pagan has been at April Mortgages since its launch and as part of the new role, he will be integral in delivering the creating products that the lender is offering.

Alan Cleary has been named as the new chair of Chetwood Financial’s mortgage advisory board. Coming out of retirement to take up the role and bringing more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Clearly has served as head of sales at BM Solutions and then as director of Halifax Intermediaries, before taking on the role of managing director at Exact Mortgage Experts. However, as a well-known name in the industry, he is best known for his role at Charter Court Financial Services, which he co-founded in 2008, and for being a key figure in delivering Precise Mortgages’ proposition. In his new role, Cleary will provide guidance on the commercial strategy for both ModaMortgages and CMI as Chetwood Financial builds its presence in the specialist lending market.

Sort Group has hosted its second conveyancing levelling-up forum, with industry leaders attending to discuss issues facing the sector and how collaboration can solve them. The initiative, which is headed by the group’s chief executive officer, Kevin Tunnicliffe, was launched in January 2024, with an inaugural event in Manchester. Since then, informal discussions have taken place, resulting in a second forum at the Park Plaza hotel in Nottingham. Representatives from conveyancing firms and panel managers who attended the inaugural session in January were joined by a number of new attendees. Discussions ranged from industry collaboration, logjams and escalation points, to the inconsistency of conveyancing quotations and the Government’s levelling-up initiative. The first action point from the forum is a commitment to collaboration through the creation of an escalation point framework, which aims to foster better communication and co-operation among law firms.

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