The mortgage club and compliance landscape is changing faster than at any point in recent memory. Consolidation is gathering pace, technology and artificial intelligence are reshaping adviser businesses and firms are under increasing pressure to diversify income while delivering more holistic advice to clients.
Against that backdrop, the organisations supporting advisers have arguably never played a more important role.
For Claire Cherrington, Director of PMS and Bankhall, the challenge over the past year has been to balance the needs of more than 2,000 member firms and over 8,000 advisers, while evolving propositions that support businesses of every size.
Since taking the helm just over 12 months ago she has focused on strengthening relationships, investing in technology, expanding support for advisers and positioning both businesses for the next phase of market growth.
In this exclusive interview with Mortgage Soup Cherrington discusses the opportunities and challenges facing mortgage clubs, why protection and holistic advice remain key growth areas, how artificial intelligence is changing the adviser landscape and why the firms that combine technology with trusted relationships will be best placed to succeed in the years ahead.
MS: What are you most proud of achieving so far across PMS and Bankhall?
When I joined Sesame Bankhall Group just over 12 months ago, I was privileged to become the custodian of PMS, an amazing business that has now been running for 30 years, and Bankhall, considered by many to be the Rolls Royce of compliance service providers.
I’m immensely proud of the mortgage club that we run and the breadth of what we’re able to serve. We serve over 2,000 firms, and more than 8,000 advisers, and that comes with great responsibility.
Last year alone, we helped write more than 200,000 mortgages for clients, which was a record for us, and we’ve also seen an increase in protection premiums.
I’m also proud of the relationships we’ve built and deepened with advisers and providers over the past 12 months. We’ve focused on giving firms the tools, insight and confidence to navigate what has been a demanding couple of years. Most importantly, we’ve helped firms continue delivering great client outcomes in a very changeable market.
I think what matters most to me though is the culture that I’ve created within my team.
Since joining, I’ve focused on giving the team a sense of direction and providing the support and structure so they can perform at their best and deliver for their clients.
Alongside that, I was pleased to be able to bring back Richard Goppy recently. Rich has such great experience and brings a fresh perspective to the business.
So now, Rich and I being able to spearhead PMS together means we bring something different to the market.
MS: What have been the biggest opportunities and challenges in driving growth and market share across the DA businesses?
When you look at the mortgage landscape and then the club landscape, we’re facing challenges left, right and centre. There is a trend around consolidation and private equity money coming into the market and that is going to change the landscape.
I’m very focused on how we make sure that our businesses are set up so that we can support the consolidators.
So, the opportunity that I see for PMS is how we make sure we have a very clear proposition that supports the consolidators, but not to the detriment of the remainder of our firms.
When I look at the PMS base, there’s a real breadth there between large, national firms and smaller firms with fewer advisers.
It’s those smaller firms that are meeting client needs in every corner of the UK. Making sure our proposition is scalable, has reach and can be tailored to those different firms is where we’ve been focusing.
MS: How have you worked to strengthen relationships with member firms?
For me, it’s about working side by side with our firms. That means regular, meaningful engagement – not just at large events but through ongoing development programmes, insight sharing and practical support.
For example, we’ve changed our events strategy so that it’s more focused on education, and we’re giving smaller businesses tools that can help them develop and build their own capabilities where they haven’t necessarily got the ability to invest in those themselves, whether that’s marketing collateral, or support around technology and AI.
MS: How are you evolving your proposition?
We’re focusing on three things: integration, practical support, and technology, as I’ve mentioned above.
When it comes to technology in the mortgage club landscape, the first thing to remember is that all of our firms are different and every single one of them has choice.
This makes it essential to offer flexible, varied propositions that meet diverse broker needs. Solutions span sourcing systems, CRM platforms, and retention tools, with options ranging from simple, standalone packages to more comprehensive offerings at discounted member rates.
“Our partnership with Acre is really important to us.”
Our partnership with Acre is really important to us. The biggest firms using Acre are outperforming market growth. And that’s because of the efficiencies within the system and the clear processes that they’re able to follow.
Alongside that, we’ve built our own OneView system and rolled it out across the network, with plans to launch it into PMS and Bankhall later this year.
This platform allows us to deliver automated file checks for different client types and also gives firms the ability to see their data compared to their peer set and how they can pull tangible levers to grow their business.
What all of this demonstrates is that a good technology system that is integrated into your business delivers efficiencies, whether that’s Acre, or another CRM system.
It’s a clear message that when you have consistency of process, you deliver better outcomes for your clients.
MS: Where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth over the next 12–24 months?
I see a number of opportunities for growth. The first is protection, which is a really big opportunity for two reasons.
First, it helps to meet a customer need, and we know the UK has a protection gap. But it also helps businesses diversify their income stream.
And we know when income is going to be under pressure from different directions that will be really important.
We have a very clear protection proposition that will help advisers that aren’t used to selling protection get on the ladder and learn how to start selling it.
And with our support, we’re able to take them on a journey to become whole of market protection specialists.
“We offer training, which I think is very unique.”
We offer training, which I think is very unique. For our scale businesses, we do bespoke training packages.
But for our main member base, we offer protection roadshows and masterclasses. Last year alone, we had 24 protection roadshows that we ran with 555 advisers, and the data shows us that the clients that have been through that see a material change in performance.
Remortgaging is clearly a major opportunity, with significant volumes of fixed-rate maturities coming through.
But beyond that, the real growth opportunity is deeper client engagement – turning one interaction into multiple conversations.
The demand for advice has never been stronger, because the complexity clients are navigating has never been greater.
Volatile investments, shifting mortgage markets, protection gaps widening as costs rise, financial plans needing to be revisited. All of that drives demand for advice.
Growth in that environment requires firms to be agile, commercially sharp and very clear on their value. Our role is to help them do exactly that.
MS: How important is the shift to holistic advice?
It’s fundamental. Clients don’t think in silos – they think about their home, their financial security and their long-term plans together.
Bringing mortgage, protection and wealth advice closer together isn’t just an opportunity, it’s where the market is moving.
We’re supporting firms with the structure, partnerships and insight they need to deliver that confidently.
For us it’s about one client and multiple conversations.
The challenge for firms is time, confidence and sometimes mindset.
It can feel operationally easier to focus on the immediate need.
But the biggest barrier is often not recognising the full opportunity in front of you.
Overcoming that means giving advisers the tools, training and confidence to broaden those conversations naturally.
MS: Is D2C a threat or an opportunity?
It’s both a signal and an opportunity. It shows that clients want easier, faster ways to engage – but it also reinforces the value of advice.
Technology can support transactions, but it can’t replace the trust, judgement and reassurance advisers provide, particularly in complex or uncertain situations.
MS: Where will AI have the biggest impact?
Technology and AI are becoming embedded in how firms operate, not just as an add-on, but as part of their infrastructure.
I believe the biggest benefit is in efficiency and client engagement.
We’re already seeing it streamline processes across lenders and advisers, freeing up time to focus on clients.
The key is not to see AI as a replacement but as an enabler that underpins better advice and stronger relationships.
MS: How will the role of advisers evolve?
The most successful advisers will be those who combine strong relationships with commercial clarity and the smart use of technology.
The role is becoming less about transactions and more about ongoing, outcome-led advice.
Firms that embrace that – while staying close to their clients – will be the ones that stand out.
