UNIFi seeks portal partners

Currently available for use by its broker members, UNIFi is accepting applications through lenders who have declined loans to customers but would still like to find them a product.

Launched last year, the portal currently has five lenders on panel: Halifax, Citi Financial, Black Horse Finance, Everyday Loans and Welcome Finance.

UNIFi can work with the affinity partner to find the customer an unsecured loan from its panel of lenders, while the affinity partner benefits by providing its customers with a suitable product; maintaining the relationship and receiving an introducer’s fee following loan completion.

Patrick Bamford, managing director of UNIFi, commented: “We believe the system will be of interest and benefit to those small to mid-sized lenders, particularly building societies, who may be declining a number of personal loan customers because they do not meet their criteria.

“We believe the portal will appeal to potential partners as we are now able to handle bulk applications plus it keeps the customer in contact with the initial lender. It also does not get in the way of those lenders dealing with brokers on a secured basis as the portal is purely for unsecured loans.

"With current market conditions as they are, the personal loan market should not be overlooked and we believe the UNIFi portal will provide a strong online solution for many lenders.”