Platform, the "one-stop" intermediary lender of Britannia Building Society is celebrating an exceptionally successful year, with a large increase in completions across its "one" product range of over 100%, since July 2003. Advances for July 2004 totalled £303m. The lender has also received its Minded to Approve letter from the FSA.
Platform has experienced tremendous growth through 2004; both new business origination and profits earned are well ahead of targets year to date and completions in line to smash the £2.5bn 2004 target.
One area where Platform has especially excelled is in the specialist lending market. The lender has seen an increase in buy-to-let lending of 274%, year on year, and, as such, has established itself as one of the top lenders in
this market. Also, tremendous demand for Platform's self-certification products has led to completions more than doubling, since July 2003.
Lending figures in Platform's core area of non-conforming lending are also very positive. Light and Minor adverse product lines have seen a dramatic growth, with minor adverse, in particular, up 300% from this time last year.
In response to this increase in demand, Platform has put in place a recruitment drive for a number of key management appointments. Positions currently being recruited are seven Business Development Managers, Head of Projects, Head of Strategy, E-commerce Manager, and a further four Mobile
Underwriters.
Guy Batchelor, Sales & Marketing Director, Platform, commented; "Over the past year we have seen tremendous performance at Platform. Brokers now fully recognise us as a "one stop" shop, as can be evidenced by the increasing volume of buy-to-let and self-certification business we are writing. Having said that now is not the time to be resting on our
laurels, as there is still much to be done, with a number of ambitious projects in the pipeline. We can guarantee that intermediaries will see many exciting developments from Platform in the near future."
