Afin Bank has partnered with Westcor International to introduce Perfect Title Insurance across its mortgage process in England and Wales, in a move designed to reduce delays between offer and completion.
The lender said the arrangement would allow some transactions to proceed without waiting for every stage of the traditional conveyancing process to be completed in full, with insurance used to cover specific title risks instead.
Afin said the approach would help it deliver faster completions for borrowers whose circumstances fall outside standard lending models, including high-net-worth clients, self-employed applicants and those with multiple income streams.
The bank, which focuses on manually underwritten cases, said the addition of Perfect Title Insurance would support a more efficient process while maintaining protection for the lender.
The deal also reflects continuing pressure on the conventional mortgage journey, where legal work remains highly sequential and can hold up transactions even after finance has been agreed.
Afin said this can be particularly problematic for borrowers with more complex financial arrangements, where certainty and speed are often important.
Westcor International, which provides title insurance to lenders in the UK, will supply the product across Afin’s lending operation in England and Wales.
The firms said the partnership was intended to remove friction from the final stages of the mortgage process without weakening risk controls.
Rob Lankey (pictured), national sales director at Afin Bank, said: “Afin has built its proposition around supporting borrowers who do not fit a standard lending model, where a more bespoke and responsive approach is essential.
“By working with Westcor and incorporating Perfect Title Insurance into our process, Afin is able to reduce delays at a critical stage of the transaction and provide a smoother route to completion for our brokers and their clients.
“It allows us to deliver a lending experience that better reflects the complexity of modern borrower profiles, while maintaining the standards and oversight required of us as a lender.”
Christopher Taylor, corporate development director at Westcor International, added: “As lender requirements evolve, we are seeing a clear shift towards solutions that remove friction from the completion process without introducing additional risk.
“Perfect Title Insurance is designed to address that challenge, enabling specific elements of the conveyancing process to be replaced with an insurance-backed solution that protects the lender’s position.
“Partnering with Afin reflects how forward-thinking lenders are adapting their approach, combining strong underwriting with more efficient transaction structures to support a broader range of borrowers.”
