The Intermediary – May 2025 - Flipbook - Page 33
I N T E RV I E W
“But we believe that our service is, if not the
best, then close to the best in the market.”
Since launch, Interbridge has received more
than 375 Trustpilot reviews, averaging a nearperfect 4.9 rating.
Jones says: “None of our customers have
given us a one- or two-star rating, which again
is a real testament to the quality of the team
that we have.”
He also points to the company’s broader
ambition to improve the second charge journey
itself, making the process less clunky, less
frustrating, and crucially, more modern.
“When we set the business up, one of the
things that we said we wanted to do was to
modernise the second charge journey and
make it much less unpleasant to take out a
mortgage,” he says. “I think [there is] evidence
that we’ve delivered on that.”
Delivering speed
Speed has been another standout feature of
Interbridge’s approach – one that has made
a tangible difference for borrowers. From the
outset, the lender has prioritised efficiency
in the second charge journey, stripping out
delays and pushing the boundaries of what fast
service can really look like.
Jones explains: “Fairly quickly after launch
we managed to do something that, if you’d
asked me two years ago, I would have said was
completely impossible – which is same-day
payouts. A customer that applies for a loan on
a Monday and gets the money on a Monday.
That’s now becoming increasingly common.”
In a market where first charge mortgages
can still take months to complete, Interbridge’s
ability to cut turnaround time has been a key
differentiator. This is the result of a deliberate
focus on making the customer journey more
efficient from start to finish.
Jones says: “The steps that we’ve taken
to make the journey more efficient mean
that customers can get their money very,
very quickly.”
Since launch, Interbridge has averaged
a cycle time of around three weeks from
application to completion – a significant
improvement on industry standards just a few
years ago.
Jones says: “I’m hugely pleased with our
cycle times since launch, something that is
dramatically shorter than the industry average
a couple of years back.
“It’s probably come down from about five
weeks to about three weeks now.”
Jones is quick to acknowledge that
Interbridge is not alone in chasing faster
processing times, and in fact, sees this as a
positive sign for seconds more broadly.
He notes: “I think in some ways we’ve been
a catalyst for that change. This is a great time
to be a second charge mortgage customer
because you’ve got a few lenders who are
competing on quality of service with very fast
turnaround times and a very efficient process.”
Fresh perspective
It is clear that Interbridge did not just enter the
second charge market – it set out to positively
disrupt it. From launch, the lender aimed to
bring a fresh perspective to a sector often
bogged down by outdated processes.
Jones notes: “We came in with a lot of stuff
that was best in class.
“We did redesign some elements of the
journey to make it more efficient.”
Efficiency was not just a buzzword;
it translates into practical changes that
have removed friction from the borrower
experience. One of the most notable
innovations is a shift in how applications
were handled.
Jones explains: “Something that sounds
like a small innovation, but was actually quite
important to the customer journey, is that we
got rid of written application forms.
“Instead, we replaced that with a declaration
where the customer verified if things were
correct at the end of the journey rather than
the beginning.”
What might seem like a small tweak had
a major impact. Previously, customers often
filled out multiple versions of application forms
as they adjusted their needs or changed their
minds, thus leading to confusion and delays.
By consolidating this into a single, streamlined
declaration at the end, Interbridge made the
process more straightforward.
The introduction of e-signatures also played
a crucial role. While Interbridge was not the
first to bring them to market, their adoption
shaved off significant time from the mortgage
process. More importantly, it aimed to tackle
a common and frustrating pain point in
traditional lending: the logistics of signing
documents in person.
Jones continues: “If you’re trying to apply
for a mortgage the traditional way, by signing
a piece of paper, the mortgage deed has to be
witnessed, and you can’t get a family member
to witness it.
“Now, put yourself in the position of
somebody trying to sort their mortgage over
the weekend. You’re around your family, who
can’t witness the signature. →
May 2025 | The Intermediary
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