United Trust Bank Asset Finance (UTB) has made with four new appointments as it seeks to maintain improvement of speed and service to brokers while transacting increasing volumes of business. Umar Butt and Tharun Rajagi have both joined UTB as underwriters. Butt brings over a decade of experience, having previously served as team leader in flow underwriting at Groupe BPCE. Rajagi also joined from BPCE and worked as risk manager. Grant Watkin as been appointed to UTB as a risk and compliance consultant, with over three years’ experience in financial crime prevention, specialising in AML investigation’s KYC reviews and quality control. He joins UTB after previously working with FDM Group and KPMG. Jessica Womack rounded off a hat trick of hires from BPCE, joining UTB’s payouts team, with previous experience at HTB and Renaissance Asset Finance.

Access Financial Services has appointed Reena Vadhia as its new group financial controller. She joined the mortgage and protection brokerage last month and is based at its Milton Keynes HQ. Vadhia will oversee the firm’s financial strategy, management accounting, budgeting and forecasting, regulatory reporting and internal control, supporting the company’s growth and strategic initiatives. She began her career at UCB Homeloans as a mortgage consultant and risk and quality control manager, before moving to Nationwide, initially as a branch manager and then to the regional office to work in financial planning and mortgages. In 2021, she joined ORSA Projects as finance director, and prior to joining Access Financial Services, she was group finance controller at Greenbrook Investments.

Vida has announced a series of enhancements to its specialist residential range, which is designed to support brokers with customers with complex or non-standard needs. The lender has increased the maximum LTV for debt consolidation on its Vida 36 tier from 85% to 95% in order to broaden options for customers looking to restructure debt while securing a more manageable monthly payment. Alongside this, Vida has also expanded its pathway range to now increase 90%, 95% and 97% LTV products, available across both two- and five-year fixed terms. The range, which supports customers with limited deposits or a shorter credit footprint, will also, for a limited time, come with no assessment fee and up to £1,250 cashback on completion.

---