Mortgage lending at Stonebridge rose by almost a quarter to £16.2bn in 2025, as the network gathered more than 500 advisers and lenders at its annual conference.
Stonebridge, one of the UK’s largest adviser networks said the value of mortgages arranged increased 24% year on year, reaching a record £16.2bn.
More than 500 guests attended the event at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, where members received market updates, regulatory briefings and business development sessions alongside keynote speakers from across the sector.
Addressing delegates, Liz Martins, UK economist at HSBC UK, said there were “reasons to be more cheerful” about the economic outlook, while cautioning that the path ahead remained narrow.
She said: “There is a path for things to get better from here. It is a narrow path. There are plenty of pitfalls and risks along the way but there are reasons to be more cheerful for this year.
“The first is lower inflation. Our forecast is that we’ll be back down to 2.1% by April. We’ll briefly dip below the Bank of England’s target in the summer. We’ll be back around that more normal 2% level and I think all of us will really benefit from that because, as households, we all feel the impact [and] as businesses it’s a problem.
“It’s a problem for Rachel Reeves as well because it keeps interest rates and Gilt yields higher. Lower inflation will help everybody I think.”
Martins added that wages had been rising faster than inflation despite concerns over unemployment, and suggested that further interest rate cuts could help release pent-up spending into the wider economy. She continued to predict that the Bank of England base rate would fall to 3% by the end of 2026.
She also noted that the Chancellor had built a larger fiscal cushion in the last Budget, meaning 2026 could prove quieter on the fiscal policy front, while business confidence was improving.
GROWTH OUTPACES ADVISER EXPANSION
Stonebridge’s financial update showed that appointed representative firms completed 24.3% more mortgages last year, materially ahead of the 11.3% increase in adviser numbers across the network.
Throughout the day, delegates were briefed on performance trends among the fastest-growing AR firms, emerging market opportunities and operational efficiencies, including AI-driven document processing and forthcoming regulatory changes.
A recurring theme was the need to introduce protection discussions earlier in the mortgage process, following publication of the Financial Conduct Authority’s interim Pure Protection Market Study, which identified the protection gap as an ongoing concern.
Guest speakers included Esther Dijkstra, managing director for intermediaries at Lloyds Banking Group; David Morris, head of homes at Santander UK, and Stephanie Charman, chief executive of AMI.
Rob Clifford (pictured), chief executive at Stonebridge, said: “It was a wonderful day and there was so much energy in the room.
“Dame Kelly was an inspiration and, with so much to celebrate at the network, the sense of self-belief and pride was palpable.
“I always enjoy seeing our members interact with each other because it’s the one time in the calendar where they really get to see how they’re part of something bigger.
“They see the culture they build with us reflected in advisers they’ve never met before, but will go on to build lasting relationships with.
“This is all being captured in the sector-leading growth we’re delivering, both in lending figures and adviser numbers. The day itself is never just a meet-and-greet, although it’s always superb fun.
“We send all our advisers away with a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges in front of them, and a lot of what happens on the day shapes how we amend our services over the next 12 months. It’s incredibly valuable all round.”
Stonebridge said it remains the second-largest mortgage-focused network by number of AR firms and added more ARs than any comparable network last year, marking the fourth consecutive year in which it has led the sector for net additions.
