Equifinance has appointed Jackie Burchill as director of lending operations as the second charge lender looks to improve processing and completion times.

Burchill (pictured) joins the lender from Birmingham Bank, where she was head of lending, and brings experience spanning specialist mortgage lending and the development of lending platforms.

She began her career at GE Money Home Lending before joining Bluestone Mortgages in 2016, where she went on to become head of lending.

During her time at Bluestone, Burchill was involved in the development and implementation of two lending platforms, which Equifinance said helped to reduce processing times by 50%.

FOCUS ON LENDING PROCESSES

In her new role, Burchill will focus on Equifinance’s lending processes and existing platform as the lender seeks to increase the speed of cases through to completion.

Burchill said: “I am focused on supporting the company’s growth ambitions through the optimisation of lending processes and enhancement of the existing lending platform. My objective is to improve speed to completion while delivering an outstanding service experience for brokers.”

Tony Marshall, chief executive of Equifinance, added: “We are delighted to welcome Jackie to the Equifinance family. Her experience and expertise will be crucial to the continued development of the whole lending process.

“We are determined to ensure that Equifinance remains at the forefront of service excellence and with Jackie’s appointment, I am confident that our offering will be further enhanced.”