MPowered Mortgages has opened a new office in Leeds and hired 18 new staff to be based there.

As well as opening an office in Leeds, the mortgage lender has more than doubled the office space of its Guildford headquarters, with overall headcount increasing by 38 people since the start of the year.

The roles based in Leeds will be focused on enhancing MPowered Mortgages’ technology platform and range from lead developers to machine learning engineers reporting to the chief technology officer. The mortgage lender has also hired a range of operational roles including underwriters and completion specialists based in both its Leeds and Guildford offices.

MPowered Mortgages’ headcount has grown to 78 people since it was launched last year.

Stuart Cheetham, CEO of MPowered Mortgages, said: “We are excited to be growing our workforce at a time when demand for mortgages prevails as does the need for a smoother mortgage journey. Having just launched our prime mortgage range in April, the opening of our Leeds office and the expansion of our workforce is testament to our commitment to speeding up the mortgage process through the use of data science and technology and improving the mortgage journey for both brokers and their clients.

“We look forward to continuing to grow our business and expand our footprint in the prime residential mortgage space as the first prime fintech mortgage lender to enter the mortgage market.”