Former hospitality and bank manager finds success in self-employed broking
Broker in Focus is a dedicated series that highlights the unique journeys of mortgage brokers, providing them with a platform to share their experiences, insights, and expertise. Through compelling personal stories and professional reflections, each featured broker recounts the key moments that have shaped their careers, delves into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry today, and shares the valuable wisdom they have gained along the way.
Mortgage Introducer spoke with Richard Dalgleish, mortgage and protection adviser at Premier Financial Planning and former bank manager, who seized the opportunity to enter the broking industry during a wave of bank closures.
Full name: Richard Dalgleish
Job title: Mortgage and Protection adviser
Company: Premier Financial Planning
Number of years in the industry: 16
Location: Exeter, Devon
How and when did you become a mortgage broker?
I left the hospitality industry to join Halifax in 2009, where I trained in various roles and set my sights on becoming a mortgage adviser. As banks began closing branches, I found a new opportunity with Countrywide. After two years—and with a young family—I took the leap into self-employment and haven’t looked back since.
In your opinion, what has been the most positive development in broking?
With a constantly busy workload, time-saving tools are invaluable. Systems that allow you to search criteria and affordability across multiple lenders have been a game-changer.
What challenges do you see currently facing the industry, and what solutions would you propose?
As people are becoming more and more capable of online applications, I am feeling an increase of clients staying with their existing lenders and applying for the product transfers themselves. I have had clients come back to me after doing this as they either made a mistake processing it or once spoken to me afterwards, they realised they could have saved money.
A solution for this is hard to find, but as long as you have regular contact with your clients, you should be able mitigate this and explain the benefits of using your service.
Can you share a memorable or challenging experience from your career as a broker and the lessons you gained from it?
During the pandemic, I found myself with less time while juggling work and family responsibilities. As a result, I focused primarily on clients’ mortgage needs, leaving less time to review their protection options. This led to a drop in income, but more importantly, I felt I wasn’t providing my clients with the fully comprehensive service they deserved.
Could you share any valuable advice for individuals aspiring to become brokers or those new to broking?
Take the time to learn the systems available to you — read the manuals, watch the webinars. Using each tool to its full potential can save you both time and frustration. While most people learn just the basics, if you can master the tools and troubleshoot issues, you’ll quickly become a valuable asset to your colleagues and managers.
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 Nick Cooper of Clark Marshall Associates, Shadab Sayed of Bennison Brown, Andrew Foligno of Foligno & Co, Luke O’Sullivan of The Loans Engine, Simon Allen of Searchlight Finance, Charn Gandham of Chancery Consultants, Ifthikar Mohamed of WIS Mortgages, Lee Trett of Echo Finance, Keith Humphreys of Pinpoint Commercial Finance, and Nick Hayes of Pia Financial Solutions.
Are you a mortgage broker interested in being featured? Email the author with your details.
