Smart Money People has opened its H1 2026 Mortgage Lender Benchmark survey, inviting brokers to give their verdict on lender service levels, communication and technology after a period of heavy product churn.
The independent study, which is due to report its latest findings in June, asks mortgage intermediaries across the UK to assess how lenders are performing in areas including criteria, speed, relationship management and overall communication.
Brokers are also being asked to comment on the technology used by lenders, including sourcing and criteria systems, as firms continue to rely on digital tools to manage cases in a more volatile market.
Smart Money People said the benchmark remains the largest broker feedback study in the mortgage sector and gives lenders a way to measure their performance against rivals while highlighting areas where service could be improved.
The most recent edition of the study, covering H2 2025, pointed to a modest improvement in sentiment. Overall satisfaction with mortgage lenders rose to 4.25 out of five, the highest level recorded since 2020.
Mainstream lenders achieved the highest Broker Experience Index score at 72.4, while buy-to-let specialist lenders were close behind on 72.1. Building societies followed with a score of 71.2.
The average Net Promoter Score across all lenders also edged higher, rising by 0.4 points from H1 2025 to +41.3.
In total, the previous survey drew responses from 1,040 brokers working across 537 firms. Those respondents gave feedback on 120 lenders, which Smart Money People said accounted for 98% of UK gross mortgage lending.
The latest survey opens against a backdrop of continued change in product availability and pricing, with brokers having had to navigate significant withdrawals and relaunches in recent weeks.
Jake Sandford, head of data and analytics at Smart Money People, said: “Our last study showed high satisfaction levels across the board, but on the eve of launching our sixteenth edition of the study, we have witnessed thousands of products being withdrawn and replaced and so I expect the impact of this to be reflected in H1’s results.
“How brokers are utilising the various product sourcing and CRM systems during such challenging times will also be fascinating and we look forward to announcing all our results later this year.”
Smart Money People is also offering a £10 Amazon voucher to any UK mortgage intermediary who completes the survey.
For lenders, the next set of findings is likely to provide a useful measure of how well service standards have held up during a period of market disruption. For brokers, the survey offers another opportunity to record where service and systems are working well, and where pressure points are starting to show.
