Dudley Building Society has begun a phased roll-out of a new intermediary portal to a select group of brokers as part of a wider update of its lending systems.
The mutual said the portal went live on 23 April alongside a new mortgage origination platform, both delivered by Ohpen, as it looks to improve the broker journey and reduce manual administration.
Dudley said the changes were shaped by broker feedback and are intended to simplify case placement, improve progress tracking and speed up decision-making.
The society said the new platform would reduce packaging requirements, speed up submissions and give intermediaries clearer visibility of cases from decision in principle through to full application.
It has also digitised or removed a number of internal manual processes, which it said would help underwriters spend more time on decisions rather than administration. Dudley said that should help improve service level agreements and shorten the time from application to offer.
The lender said the changes would also increase capacity and support future growth, including entry into new markets and the launch of new products in the coming months.
Further enhancements are planned in later phases, including integration with broker systems and sourcing platforms.
Paul Purewal (pictured), head of intermediary relations at Dudley Building Society, said: “We have listened carefully to broker feedback, and this launch is about making us easier to do business with in a practical sense.
“The new platform improves speed and simplicity across the journey. Submissions are quicker, packaging requirements are reduced, and brokers have better visibility of their cases from start-to-finish, with less need for manual follow-ups.
“We have also streamlined a number of internal processes. Tasks that previously took around 45 minutes can now be completed in a matter of minutes, which supports faster decision-making and helps us improve our service levels and overall turnaround times.
“Importantly, while we are introducing more automation and beginning to bring AI into parts of the process, we are still committed to human underwriting. Brokers can expect the same common-sense approach, backed by better systems and quicker outcomes.
“We will be rolling the new system out to brokers in a phased manner in the weeks ahead, with invitations to use the new platform being sent by the Dudley team. This launch marks the start of our wider digitisation journey for brokers and their customers. It allows us to be more dynamic in how we develop and launch products, respond more quickly to market changes, and continue improving the experience we offer to intermediaries.”
Jerry Mulle, UK managing director at Ohpen, added: “We are delighted to support Dudley at this important stage, with the platform now live and delivering real value.
“At Ohpen, we have always focused on fast deployment, delivering friction-free, highly automated processes through cloud-native, API-first technology. By going live with Dudley, we are helping to significantly improve operational efficiency and creating a more intuitive experience for brokers in the complex and specialist market.”
