Aldermore's Charles Haresnape talks the 'Northern powerhouse' and the market in 2015

We spoke to Charles Haresnape (Managing Director, Mortgages and Commercial Lending at Aldermore) about the benefits of regional shows and his predictions for the mortgage market this year.

 You’ve exhibited at all of the FSE shows and have sponsored the shows – why do you feel these opportunities for face-to-face interactions are so important for the industry?

The FSE shows are a great opportunity to see brokers based across the UK and continue to build upon our relationships with them. It gives us the opportunity to listen to broker’s needs, demonstrate our expertise and get in front of them. We are firm believers of investing in the mortgage industry and are keen to support industry events, such as these.

With all the talk of a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and the differences in housing market across the country, what are your views on regional events such as FSE Manchester?

These are key issues for a whole of market lender and, certainly in our experience, demand for certain products differs regionally across the UK. We understand the needs of our brokers and their customers and want to tailor our services to them. Regional expos like this give us the opportunity to listen and understand needs better.

What do you predict for the mortgage market over the rest of 2015?  What issues will intermediaries and lenders face?

Housing has been a major campaigning issue in the run up to the general election and it will be interesting to see what new Government policies are introduced to the housing market and the impact they will have. We would call on the new Government to address supply-side issues as a matter of urgency. 

A year on from the Mortgage Market Review and with the EU Mortgage Credit Directive coming down the track, there is still a lot on the regulatory side that is going on. 

We’ve also seen an influx of smaller lenders, meaning there is increased competition, which we welcome as it breeds innovation in the market. 

What are Aldermore’s plans for the next 12 months – any exciting developments you can tell us about?

We are focused on continuing to ensure we offer exceptional customer service and the best products and services we can.

We have recently launched Help to Buy 1, which is proving popular and we are focusing on providing a broad range of lending products including buy to let and bridging funding.