Specialist lender Kensington is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an industry lunch in London.

It completed its first mortgage on 13 December 1995 and the lender is releasing figures showing the number of customers it has helped over the past two decades.

In its 20 year history, Kensington has completed 193,902 mortgage loans, worth £17.9bn. As part of this the lender has helped 84,524 customers to buy their own home, including 32,166 first-time buyers.

Keith Street of Kensington, said: “20 years in the mortgage market – which has had its fair share of turbulent times – is a significant milestone, and we look forward to further successes for many more years to come. When Kensington first launched in 1995, there was little in the way of innovation to cater for people’s individual needs and we are really proud of the number of people we have been able to lend to over the last two decades years. There are many thousands of people who would not be sitting in a home of their own if it were not for a Kensington mortgage.

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, it is worth remembering Marty Finegold. He identified the opportunity to change the UK mortgage market and made it a reality through his vision and drive. Marty sadly passed away this year and Kensington certainly would not be here without him.”

Robert Sinclair, chief executive at the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries, added: “It is great to see Kensington celebrate its 20th birthday. It has proved its durability through both the good and the tough times. AMI is looking forward to seeing what comes next from a firm that has always been innovative, discerning and wanted to broaden and deepen the lending market.”