Legal & General Mortgage Club has finished an API led integration with Kensington Mortgages, allowing advisers using its SmartrFit tool to access criteria and lending options from the lender through open banking technology.

The news comes as SmartrFit also adds the Ipswich Building Society and Metro Bank to its panel. The recent additions mean SmartrFit now provides over 92% market access for residential searches to its users.

The API integration with Kensington Mortgages uses open banking technology to provide a faster and more secure connection between the two parties. Information contained in SmartrFit is updated in real-time to avoid potential outages when the lender makes changes to its criteria.

Clare Beardmore, head of mortgage transformation and operations at Legal & General Mortgage Club, said: “The importance of having access to a diverse range of lenders has been brought into sharp focus over the past year as advisers process a greater number of complex cases in the wake of the pandemic.

“Our latest editions will not only broaden the range of options for users of SmartrFit, but by also using the latest open banking technology we’re creating an enhanced service which will further improve the accuracy of the results advisers see.”

Craig McKinlay, new business director of Kensington Mortgages, added: “Legal & General Mortgage Club is one of the UK’s largest and we’re pleased to be partnering in a way that uses cutting-edge technology to ensure a quality service for advisers.

“The pandemic has made it clear to us all that digital solutions are essential to innovation in the mortgage market and we hope that by integrating with the Club via an API, we will ensure advisers are confident about our criteria when packaging cases.”