Paragon Bank has expanded its buy-to-let underwriting function with the appointment of a mobile underwriter.

Michael Maynard has taken on the new role, which involves visiting selected broker firms to manage new business and underwrite cases in person.

The position gives brokers direct, face-to-face access to a decision maker, with a link to Paragon’s wider underwriting team to help resolve queries quickly and keep cases moving.

Maynard (pictured) will provide support throughout the mortgage process, from initial enquiry through to offer, with the aim of speeding up applications and improving communication.

He said: “It’s great to start the next stage of my career with Paragon at a time when we’re doing so much to enhance our systems and processes to make significant improvements to the way we work.

“No two days are ever the same with this role. I enjoy getting out there and speaking to brokers face-to-face because I get to see first-hand the difference it makes to have someone on hand to support. It’s rewarding to work closely with our partners to find solutions and essentially get more deals over the line.”

Maynard reports to Matt Fulford, operations manager within Paragon’s new business team, which sits in the bank’s mortgages division.

Fulford said: “We’ve already had some fantastic feedback from intermediaries who have told us that it makes a huge difference to have that direct contact with an underwriter who can support them all the way from enquiry to completion.

“That’s great to hear and we’re planning on building on the success we’ve had to broaden the scope of firms we work with and business we write, whether that’s the complex cases we’ve always specialised in as well as more simple propositions.”

Maynard brings more than a decade of mortgage industry experience to the role. He joins Paragon from Fleet Mortgages, where he spent eight years in senior telephone and hybrid business development roles.