Commercial First ranked top

In a survey conducted among over 200 commercial mortgage intermediaries, Commercial First emerged as one of two lenders with whom over half of all intermediaries had placed business during the past year.

In addition, 89% of respondents said that their satisfaction rating with Commercial First was excellent or good, with a further 89% also said that they were very likely or quite likely to recommend Commercial First.

The lender was praised for keeping intermediaries informed, its marketing and sales support, and its appetite to lend, alongside offering a range of straightforward products. Brokers also endorsed the clarity of its application documentation and requirements, the speed of issuing an AIP, and both transparency and consistency of underwriting.

Stephen Johnson, Commercial First’s sales and marketing director, said: “The results speak for themselves, but it is great to see a specialist lender leading the industry. We are delighted that our core values of speed, transparency and simplicity have been so well received by the intermediary market. This research pre dated the launch of our pioneering online system, so we are hopeful we have moved further ahead.

“No one in our team will be resting on any laurels, there are clear opportunities for us to further improve and build on the partnerships we enjoy with our intermediaries.”

Mark Dennis, director of Charterhouse Research Limited commented, “What’s impressed me most of all about the high ratings achieved by Commercial First is the fact they’ve been achieved among both specialist and non-specialist commercial mortgage brokers who, our research shows, often have quite different requirements of lenders. This underlines Commercial First’s appeal across the full spectrum of intermediary types.”