Santander has announced the appointment of Miguel Sard as managing director of its newly created mortgages division, subject to FCA approval.

The bank is restructuring its mortgages business to create a new division responsible for all mortgage products and marketing across its retail and intermediary channels.

Phil Cliff, who was responsible for Santander’s mortgage products, will be taking on a new senior role within Santander UK’s retail division. Brad Fordham will be appointed managing director of Santander for Intermediaries (SFI), subject to FCA approval.

Sard (pictured) previously held the position of head of intermediaries at Santander and prior to that was the managing director of Abbey for Intermediaries. He also held the position of CEO of Santander Insurance Services in the UK. He will report to Steve Pateman, Santander UK’s head of banking.

Fordham, currently SFI’s sales director, will be the new managing director for Santander for Intermediaries, with responsibility for Santander for Intermediaries and all the products distributed through its channels including Santander, Abbey, Cater Allen and Santander Asset Management.

He joined Santander in 1995 and has held a number of roles across Santander’s retail division, including performance director for the lender’s mortgage division, before heading up SFI’s sales teams.

Sard said: “I am delighted to be heading up our new Santander Mortgages Division. It’s an exciting time for Santander mortgages and we are focused on becoming the lender of choice for both customers and intermediaries. Key to this will be the development of products to support our customers as they buy their first home and later as they progress up the property ladder.

“I look forward to building upon the strong momentum of the past year as we continue to offer our customers great products suited to their changing needs.”

Cliff will take on a new senior role in Santander UK’s retail division. He said: “I am delighted to be leading the strategic thinking and transformation of our Retail Network as we move into the next phase of becoming the best bank in the UK. The customer is always at the heart of what we do in Santander and this has never been more so than in our retail network.

“Having steered the Santander UK mortgage business over the last five years through what has been a truly unique period, I am excited about taking on a new challenge with a broader retail focus.”