1st joins AMI

From July 1st, all users of 1st’s Adviser Office system will be eligible to receive a 10% discount on AMI membership charges. This offer is open to both existing and new users of the Adviser Office system.

Nick Berry, channel manager (mortgages), explains: “The discount arrangement with AMI is just another example of 1st’s commitment to providing our mortgage users with added value benefits. As a provider of technology to the mortgage sector, as well as an affiliate member of AMI, we will support the industry’s trade body in whatever way we can. AMI offers advisers a voice in their future and should be supported fully by all those connected with providing mortgage advice.”

Recent research amongst the IFA community found that only 20% of an adviser’s time was "productive". The vast majority was taken up by administrative matters and the burden of coping with regulation. Mortgage and general insurance intermediaries coming into statutory regulation for the first time risk falling into the same traps. Chris Cummings, director of AMI, will be speaking on this topic at the 1st annual conference in July.

Chris Cummings comments: “We are delighted to welcome 1st as an affiliate member of AMI. The FSA is listening to AMI’s views on regulation and we are achieving this level of influence thanks, in part, to the fact that our membership is growing so quickly. The support of forward-looking companies such as 1st will only add to this.”

1st has 10,000 users of its Adviser Office system, which provides CRM, marketing and back-office technology solutions with integrated e-commerce links to the mortgage sourcing systems, major portals, fund-supermarkets and product providers.