Shifts in the economy will always have an impact on borrowing, and the COVID-19 pandemic was no exception. Sudden changes to interest rates and risk often mean reduced options for borrowers and this is when the specialist finance market really comes into its own. When the high street lenders are not an option, working with an expert finance distributor can provide access to a wider range of options and in this case, an often-unseen speed of delivery with a Second Charge mortgage.
The Client:
A professional couple with a combined high income; Mr is the director of a commercial lettings firm and Mrs is a director of a business services organisation, looking to secure £150,000 for home improvements.
The Situation:
The clients own two residential properties and were looking to borrow £150,000 for home improvements. Due to the clients already owning two properties their existing lender refused a further advance and there were no high street options available for capital raise. Their broker had explored all high street options and hoped specialist finance could provide a solution.
The Solution:
This case was submitted to us during the COVID-19 lockdown, with the market somewhat closed, physical valuations not possible and the lending pool reduced - there could have been some issues. With physical valuations, not a possibility, the Enterprise team were able to organise an automated valuation and manually underwrite the case. At a time when lenders were withdrawing products and rates were being increased, manual underwriting was a key part of the solution to ensure a realistic human approach to the case vs a computer.
Once underwriting was complete, the case had clarity and allowed the team to source a lender who could see the affordability despite the case elements and approve the loan.
Benefit:
Utilising Enterprise Finance as a specialist finance provider opened the clients up to a wider range of lending solutions, with nearly 20 years of experience even a global pandemic could not stop the team from finding the right deal.
The expertise and manual underwriting process allowed for a common-sense approach to the case and secured a lender who could see that affordability was still possible across the two properties. A computer-based approach at such an uncertain time in the market may have resulted in the case being declined by the lenders.
Result:
The team were able to secure a Second Charge mortgage of £150,000 in a remarkable 15 days from receipt of the application. The broker was able to provide the client with the funds needed to complete renovations.
