'Brokers should pick up the phone, not hide behind a screen'

This week's featured broker is Jeni Browne (pictured top), sales and marketing director at Mortgage Finance Brokers, who has spent 25 years building a career defined by straight-talking client relationships and a specialisation in the landlord market. She has witnessed the mortgage industry transform from faxed lender updates to same-day offers — and guided clients through some of its darkest moments, including the credit crisis.

In the Q&A below, Browne shares why picking up the phone matters more than ever, what she believes brokers owe their landlord clients, and what she tells every new broker who joins her team.

Full name: Jeni Browne
Job title: Sales and marketing director
Company: Mortgage Finance Brokers
Number of years in the industry: 25
Location: South East

How and when did you become a mortgage broker?

It happened purely by chance! I left school desperate to just start working and got a job in the tax advisory department of a large accountancy firm doing marketing – I really didn't enjoy it so resigned with the grand plan of becoming a fashion buyer, starting with a job at Selfridges. That didn't work out so well – it turns out some people (even the posh ones) can be incredibly rude to shop staff, so I cut my losses, got a job at an IFA firm, got qualified and started on my mortgage broking journey. I have never looked back.

In your opinion, what has been the most positive development in broking?

I have really loved seeing the application journey evolve. When I first started, applications were posted to a lender with a ream of supporting paperwork, and the lender would fax you updates. To see our industry embrace technology in such a positive way – where we can now generate offers in days and sometimes hours, and provide a truly great experience to our clients – is incredible. I think it's only if you have seen where we have come from that you can truly appreciate how much we have improved.

What challenges do you see currently facing the industry, and what solutions would you propose?

As my focus is landlords, that's where my concern sits. I am genuinely concerned about the impact of regulatory and tax pressure squeezing landlords out – and that's before we find out what our new government has planned. Whilst we cannot force change, we can help landlords. With this in mind, brokers need to do more proactive education — helping landlords understand SPV structures, ICR calculations under stress rates, and long-term portfolio planning rather than just processing applications reactively. It's not a fix for the wider pressures, but it means our clients are making decisions with their eyes open, not getting caught out.

Can you share a memorable or challenging experience from your career as a broker and the lessons you gained from it?

The most challenging time for me was the very start of the credit crisis. I can still remember getting to the point of just one lender offering buy-to-let rates, and the sense of helplessness as lenders withdrew mortgage offers and clients were left high and dry. The conversations we had to have were truly awful as we let people down. However, I didn't lose a single client during that time, and for those who are still borrowing money, I work with them even now.

I genuinely think that was because I was prepared to pick up the phone and have the tough conversation directly, rather than hiding behind email – because I could explain what was happening and why, and because the second I could get things back on track for them, I did. In terms of a lesson in relationship management, the credit crisis was a key learning time.

Could you share any valuable advice for individuals aspiring to become brokers or those new to broking?

Be genuinely curious, and don't be afraid to ask what feels like a silly question. This industry has so many moving parts — lenders, criteria, tax rules, legislation — that nobody knows it all on day one, and honestly, nobody knows it all ever. I still learn something new most weeks.

Get comfortable with the phone, not just email. I see new brokers lean heavily on written communication because it feels safer, but the relationships that last are built on conversations — especially the hard ones. If a case goes wrong or a lender pulls a product, ring the client. Don't hide behind a screen.

And find someone to learn from who'll actually take the time with you. I spend a lot of my week training our broker trainees now, and the thing that makes the difference isn't just teaching them the mechanics of ICR calculations or portfolio rules — it's teaching them how to have the conversation with a client who's anxious about their mortgage. That's the bit you can't learn from a manual.

Broker in Focus is a weekly Mortgage Introducer feature, spotlighting mortgage brokers from diverse backgrounds and locations across the UK. Among those recently featured are Emily Franks of Emily's Mortgage Services, Max Harris of Bright Box Financial Services, Matthew Jackson of Mint FS, Helen May Allman of Home Me Mortgages, Kane Powell of Heron Financial, Marcus Robinson of Mortgage Style, Natalie Hines of Premier One Mortgages, Joe Stallard of House and Holiday Home Mortgages, Sam Ewen of Rosehill Financial Services, and Stuart Mosley of SJ Financial Solutions.