The Equity Release Supermarket (ERS), part of the Equity Release Group (ERG), has called for greater collaboration across the equity release market after bringing together advisers, lenders and specialists for its annual Summer Conference.
The event welcomed providers including Aviva, LV=, Canada Life and Pure Retirement, alongside advisers and the group’s leadership team, to share practical insight, product innovation and best practice at a time when the sector continues to navigate challenging market conditions.
Rather than focusing solely on market performance, the conference centred on how collaboration between providers and technology can improve customer outcomes and increase operational efficiency to help firms adapt to evolving regulatory expectations.
Challenging market conditions
Mark Gregory, founder and chief executive officer of Equity Release Group, said: “The later life lending market continues to evolve rapidly.
“Whilst market conditions remain challenging, it has become increasingly clear that no single organisation has all the answers.
“The best outcomes for consumers will come when advisers, lenders and the wider industry work more closely together to share knowledge, experience and help improve processes by learning from one another.
“That was exactly the purpose of bringing everyone together.”
Throughout the day, delegates explored practical ways to improve the equity release customer journey, including reducing unnecessary delays through better understanding of lender requirements, sharing product knowledge and identifying operational improvements that can make advice more efficient without compromising Consumer Duty obligations.
Sessions included updates from providers on product innovation and lending criteria, alongside compliance led discussions around documentation standards to improve case progression.
One area of particular focus was helping advisers better understand the subtle differences between lender propositions, enabling them to identify more suitable outcomes for individual customer circumstances.
Delegates also heard from former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba. Organisers said his remarkable personal story of resilience reinforced the conference theme of overcoming adversity and maintaining confidence during periods of uncertainty.
