Accord Mortgages is expanding its underwriting team with up to 25 new members of staff set to join in the coming months.

The lender has already recruited an additional 10 underwriters, who started training this month, taking the number of underwriters currently dedicated to intermediaries to over 130 in total.

Accord claims the additional resource will help to improve a quick offer turnaround time as well as improve lending decisions for brokers and their customers.

The lender is also in the process of recruiting up to 15 more members of the team as part of its commitment to improve broker experience. The new colleagues are expected to start in summer.

Jeremy Duncombe (pictured), director of intermediary distribution at Accord, said: “We changed the way we process our mortgage applications two years ago giving our underwriters the autonomy to make lending decisions, as well as offering brokers direct access to our underwriters.

“This has received a positive response from intermediaries, and we’re seeing an increase in the amount of business brokers place with us. However, we recognise that it’s important not to rest on our laurels, so we’ve continued to invest in people to provide the best possible service to brokers.

“We constantly listen to broker feedback and we know how important our principle based underwriting decisions and direct underwriter access is. This allows us to enhance further streamline the experience for intermediaries.”