The Sesame Podcast

In the latest edition of The Sesame Podcast our Group Partnerships & Propositions Director, Stephanie Charman interviews Louisa Sedgwick, Commercial Director at Paragon Bank. Reflecting on the market dynamics in 2023, Stephanie and Louisa explore the functionality and appeal of the buy-to-let market, including mortgage arrears and the rise of green mortgages. Looking ahead to 2024, Louisa also looks at how this year will continue to be the year of refinance and gives insight into the plans, offerings and exciting developments Paragon has to offer.

Stephanie Charman, Group Partnerships & Propositions Director at Sesame Bankhall Group, is joined by Jeremy Duncombe, Managing Director at Accord Mortgages, to discuss the condition of the current mortgage market. In their insightful conversation, they cover inflation figures, swap rates, first time buyers, product transfers and more.

Our all-new podcast series sees us take your questions to the biggest lenders on our panel. We focus on the trending topics for the intermediary market, bringing you right up to date with the latest views from our lender partners.In this instalment Ross Liston, Managing Director at Bankhall & PMS joins Campbell Stanners, Advisory Relationship Director at Bankhall & PMS, to interview Graham Felstead, Head of Intermediary Mortgages at Natwest.Graham starts by giving us the Natwest outlook for the rest of the year as he comments on how bright it's looking due to sustained volume since valuations were able to go ahead.He outlines the need for Natwest to be ready for the end of the Stamp Duty holiday from a service perspective and explores how this may affect the mortgage market. Graham also discusses how product transfers may take centre stage in the intermediary market again following this and the Help to Buy changes. We also discuss the effect of the furlough scheme on the self-employed sector, current service levels, underwriting times, interest rates, complex cases and much more.Finally, Graham gives us some insight into the strategic direction of Natwest in the coming months as they focus on a service-driven approach, before going on to close the session by echoing the sentiment of our other lenders as he underscores the importance of the intermediary market. 

Our all-new podcast series sees us take your questions to the biggest lenders on our panel. We focus on the trending topics for the intermediary market, bringing you right up to date with the latest views from our lender partners.In this instalment Sesame's Managing Director Richard Howells, joins Ross Liston, Managing Director at Bankhall & PMS, to interview Esther Dijkstra, Lloyds Banking Group's Managing Director Of Intermediaries.Esther provides us with an insight into how Lloyds Banking Group has fared over lockdown and the subsequent recovery of the market. She explores consumer attitudes and discusses different types of house buyers.We then move on to discuss criteria as an opportunity to stem the flow and explore the healthy competition within the mortgage market. Esther closes the interview by outlining her view that advisers are vital for good customer outcomes going forwards even more so when you consider the complexity of finances over the last year or so and the ever-expanding types of housing.  

Our all-new podcast series sees us take your questions to the biggest lenders on our panel. We focus on the trending topics for the intermediary market, bringing you right up to date with the latest views from our lender partners.In this instalment Sesame's Managing Director Richard Howells, joins Ross Liston, Managing Director at Bankhall & PMS, to interview Ian Andrew, Director of Intermediary Relationships at Nationwide Building Society.Ian provides an outlook for the market moving forwards, discussing the effect of the end of the Stamp Duty holiday and the Help to Buy Scheme. He alludes to a possible frenzy in the first quarter of the year and discusses current consumer confidence amongst the end of the furlough scheme as we know it.We then move on to reflect on the last few months, and Ian outlines Nationwide’s intentions to continue to support at 90% LTV but with a need to be honest and upfront about SLAs in a bid to manage expectations.Finally, Ian underlines the focus on intermediary business and discusses how they can work with the intermediary market to provide better solutions for all. 

Our all-new podcast series sees us take your questions to the biggest lenders on our panel. We focus on the trending topics for the intermediary market, bringing you right up to date with the latest views from our lender partners. In this instalment Sesame's Managing Director Richard Howells, joins Ross Liston, Managing Director, Bankhall & PMS, to interview Graham Sellar, Head of Business Development - Mortgages at Santander. Graham provides the current view from Santander, discussing their operational ability and capacity in an incredibly busy industry. He also takes a look at customer confidence, house prices, and why the market is hopeful in the wake of the changing furlough scheme.We then move on to discuss the importance of customer communication, the true value of intermediaries, the balance between low and high LTVs and Santander's biggest month ever. Finally, we talk around rising interest rates and how Santander is actively looking to increase underwriting volumes before finishing our session with a 2021 outlook. 

This series of podcasts sees us take your questions to the biggest lenders on our panel. We focus on the trending topics for the intermediary market, bringing you right up to date with the latest views from our lender partners.In this instalment, Ross Liston, Managing Director, Bankhall & PMS and Richard Howells, Managing Director, Sesame interview Richard Beardshaw, Head of Sales, Mortgage Intermediaries at HSBC.Our guest Richard provides his projection for the rest of the year and discusses how we could be set for a flood of interest before the end of the Stamp Duty holiday. We also talk furlough redundancies, the potential effect of a second lockdown, realignment of customer priorities and more.We then cover off the importance of service, the reasoning behind a rise in interest rates, operational strain and the incredible work brokers have done through this period of uncertainty. Richard also explains an appetite for HSBC to lend at higher LTVs and the circumstances that surround the sought-after market. 

In our latest episode, Mark Charlesworth, Head of Business Consultancy takes up the hosting seat as he introduces Stacey Wood, National New Build and Surveying Relationship Manager who interviews Andy Mason, Head of Housing Development at Lloyds Banking Group. We kick-off this episode with an introduction to Andy Mason and a short exploration of his career so far before moving to discuss everything Help To Buy, looking at the extension of this scheme, the opportunity of shared ownership and plugging the gap that will be left behind.Andy gives us a summary of the current view of Lloyds Banking Group and provides us with his market outlook, discussing everything from risk appetite, operational backlogs and how pent-up demand is currently shaping lenders plans. He discusses the positive outlook for the rest of the year as we see lenders across the market returning and the positive signs so far and how that fares against initial fears of house prices falling.We then discuss future new build prices and the effect of the stamp duty holiday before moving onto discuss cladding in apartment buildings. Andy provides us with an overview of the cross-industry collaboration to resolve this issue and how a change in process could lead to more positive customer outcomes for leaseholders.Andy also talks us through changing customer journeys and how packaging applications correctly is imperative at the minute. Stacey then talks through our Sesame packaging grids intended to help those looking to ensure each case is submitted in-line with lender expectations.