Aldermore Bank has appointed Rob Barnard to head of intermediary distribution in its residential mortgages division.

The appointment is part of a wider expansion of Aldermore’s intermediary sales team to support further growth in broker sales activity.

Barnard, who was previously head of business development at Aldermore, will report to residential mortgages managing director Charles Haresnape.

The intermediary team is being expanded to include new roles in order to deepen the bank’s relationships with brokers. Working alongside Barnard will be a head of sales, sales manager and a key account management team.

Haresnape said: “Rob has built a strong reputation in the mortgage market and is well recognised for his knowledge and professionalism.

“Aldermore is extremely well-placed to grow in both the intermediary and direct market. We are strongly capitalised and readily able to raise the deposit funding required to support the ongoing growth in our mortgage businesses. With plans to launch our Help to Buy second phase products towards the end of this year, our services will be further enhanced by having a dedicated person in charge of intermediary business.”

Barnard added: “Having lent over £1.3 billion to UK homeowners since opening our doors in 2009, and having recently extended our services into Scotland, we are expanding our intermediary sales team to widen our distribution network.

“We are always looking to help brokers write more business, and our entry into Phase 2 of Help to Buy will give brokers additional product choice and greater access to our personalised mortgage service, either face to face or via telephone.”