The Mortgage Climate Action Group (MCAG) has been rebranded to the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative (GMAI) in a move designed to better highlight the purpose of the group.

The Mortgage Climate Action Group was set up in 2022 by like-minded mortgage advice businesses to act as a source of support for intermediaries, helping them to understand and address green issues when dealing with mortgage applications, whilst ensuring that advisers’ interests are represented among lenders, regulators, trade bodies and government institutions.

The group expanded in 2023 and, with the support of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI), has grown into a cross-industry project with a laser focus on helping advisers and their clients consider the energy efficiency of their properties and the mortgage options available.

This includes the creation of the Green Mortgage Advice website, which serves as a hub for educational content and support to intermediaries on sustainability in the mortgage and housing market.

BREADTH OF REPRESENTATION

The GMAI says its strength is the breadth of the business represented, with all the major distributors working together in partnership along with key lenders, surveyors, sourcing systems, compliance specialists and more.

The group says that as an industry we need mortgage advisers to be familiar with, and comfortable talking to clients about, how to improve the energy efficiency of a property and the lending products available. Re-branding to the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative will build on the work already started and aims to give advisers the support and knowledge needed to have more meaningful conversations with clients throughout the mortgage advice process, it claims.

“rebranding to the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative is a natural step in raising awareness, as we look to deliver more and more practical support on this crucial topic”

Richard Merrett, managing director of Alexander Hall and chair of the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative Steering Committee, explained: “Since the formation of this group it has been phenomenal to see the collaboration between a huge number of individuals from a variety of different businesses to drive the Green agenda forward.

“We want to continue to make our work as accessible and inclusive as possible to maximise our impact; rebranding to the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative is a natural step in raising awareness, as we look to deliver more and more practical support on this crucial topic.”

Robert Sinclair, outgoing chief executive of AMI, added: “AMI recognises that this is a topic that requires total collaboration if we are to properly inform consumers on the green and net zero options, and how these innovations can be funded.

“The pooling of knowledge and ideas via the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative will give our industry a realistic chance of meeting the expectations of government, regulators and consumers. I am grateful to all those who are working with us to deliver guidance through the Green Mortgage Advice website.”