A few months into 2026, it is already clear that many borrowers continue to fall outside the criteria set by high street and mainstream lenders.
Firms like Mortgage Advice Bureau, Rosemount Financial Solutions (IFA), London & Country and Habito all appointed us to their panels for first-charge residential cases in 2025 and during conversations with all these firms they told me that they are seeing more and more cases that do not fit high street or mainstream lenders.
Such borrowers include those making Right to Buy purchases, low-income cases, foreign nationals, adverse credit, and clients who receive benefits and so brokers are needing wider lending panel options to deliver good customer outcomes.
For these clients, a good outcome is not only about the rate. It is about whether the lender will look beyond a credit score. That means manual underwriting with a person looking at the case, checking the facts, and making a clear decision.
As Ahmed Bawa, chief executive of Rosemount Financial Solutions (IFA), said when we were appointed to their panel: “NHL’s appointment is a direct result of feedback from our advisers, who asked us to plug a gap in our lending panel in terms of borrowers with problems ranging from their credit profile and income to unusual property types.”
“Ensuring our advisers have access to lenders to help a wide range of customer circumstances is imperative and Norton’s unique range will help our advisers provide more finance solutions to more people.”
This was backed up by Rachel Geddes, strategic lender relationships director at Mortgage Advice Bureau, who said when we were added to MAB’s panel: “This isn’t just about adding another name to the panel, but about strengthening the support and value we offer our brokers – in essence, helping them say yes to more.”
Looking at the market now, it feels increasingly clear that brokers will need access to an even broader range of lenders to meet the variety of customer needs they are seeing. The days of narrow lender panels appear to be behind us.
At Norton Home Loans, we want 2026 to be a year where more people can get a yes, where it is right to do so and so we will be working hard with our network, club and broker partners to provide more and more options for more and more borrowers.
