Paradigm Mortgage Services has become the first mortgage club to add Ecology Building Society to its lender panel.
The partnership gives Paradigm’s member firms access to Ecology’s specialist residential, community and buy-to-let mortgage products.
Ecology is known for supporting borrowers whose homes or projects are designed to deliver a measurable environmental or social benefit.
Founded with a mission to promote sustainable development through finance, Ecology lends on a wide range of property types often outside mainstream lending criteria. These include energy-efficient self-builds, eco-renovations, conversions, and retrofits, as well as homes built to Passivhaus standards, non-standard construction properties, and live/work units.
It also lends to community-led housing schemes such as co-operatives and co-housing groups.
The more borrowers reduce their carbon emissions, the greater the financial reward
Richard Howes, director of mortgages at Paradigm, welcomed the addition. “We’re very pleased to be the first mortgage club distributor to add Ecology Building Society to our lender panel,” he said.
“Their commitment to financing greener, more sustainable housing is both unique and incredibly relevant in today’s market, where many clients are choosing to renovate or build with the environment in mind.
“Their flexible, bespoke underwriting and deep understanding of sustainable housing means they can support a wide range of projects that other lenders may struggle to consider.”
Ecology’s case-by-case underwriting model is intended to support borrowers with complex or non-standard requirements. Lending is available throughout the UK, including rural and remote areas, and the society offers a “C-Change” discount that reduces mortgage rates according to improvements in a property’s energy efficiency. The more borrowers reduce their carbon emissions, the greater the financial reward.
Daniel Capstick, senior mortgages product and proposition manager at Ecology, said the partnership would help the society expand its reach through the intermediary channel. “We’re very glad to be joining Paradigm’s panel, which will support our ambitions to grow the reach and impact of our green mortgage lending,” he said.
“As more people look to live more sustainably and bring down their carbon footprint, we know brokers can help us to reach a wider audience.”
He added: “We’re excited to share our knowledge to support Paradigm brokers and their clients, including for specialist projects, complex cases and builds using non-standard construction.”
