A committed broker charter, modern branding, new resources and a common sense approach to lending is what brokers and key distributors have said they want – and what they will receive from from now on.

Skipton Intermediaries has carried out research over the past 18 months with its intermediary partners, which is says now means a “common sense approach to real life lending”.

It has made four pledges in its ‘real life lending charter’. They are:

• No dual pricing
• The lender won’t proactively market home or life insurance to brokers’ clients
• Skipton Intermediaries will give five working days to submit pipeline business following a product withdrawal
• The lender will always communicate with brokers via “timely, clear and straight-talking communications”

In addition to the charter, brokers now have access to a refreshed website.

Paul Darwin, Skipton’s head of intermediary relationships, said: “Skipton Intermediaries has had much more than a face-lift. We have made substantial, forward thinking developments, motivated by an overwhelming desire to put brokers at the centre of everything we do.

“A great deal of time has been invested in getting under the skin of our broker partners, key distributors and customers to really understand what they want and need from us. For the last year they have been taking the time to give us their insight on how we can help add value to their business. And today sees the culmination of those collaborative efforts.

“Mortgages make a real difference to people’s lives and Skipton Intermediaries works tirelessly to help people realise their housing dreams every day. But we recognise that it’s so much more than that for brokers. For many, they’re a key link in their local community – helping it grow, develop and flourish, and that’s a professional responsibility they take very seriously. Today marks a day where we can genuinely say that after all our listening, we recognise this.”