Howard joined the Portman Building Society in January 2002, and Nationwide in August 2007 when the two mutuals merged. He won an industry lifetime achievement award in June this year.
Mike Fitzgerald, sales director at Brentwood-based Brentchase Financial, said: “I’ve known Paul for a long time and the thing with him is that he’s always been a great believer in the intermediary mortgage market and that model of distribution.
“It’s refreshing to find someone in that position, there are a few others like him such as David Finlay but they do seem to be in the minority.
“He’s always been a real pleasure to deal with. He’s a guy with a lot of real integrity, if he says he’ll do something he’ll do it and that’s why I think people really like him.”
Fitzgerald said that if he’s had any problems in the past on any high profile cases then with just a nod and a wink from Paul he would get things back on track.
“He’s always sold the Nationwide brand very well. In particular every time I think of The Mortgage Works I think of him. He’s been a great icon for that model,” Fitzgerald added.
“The industry needs people like Paul with lots of vision to see the future. He’s a guy that understands the whole mortgage market very well and it’ll be interesting to see where he resurfaces in the industry.
“I’d like to wish him well and I’m sure whatever he does will be of a great benefit to the industry.”
Andrew Montlake, communications director at London-based Coreco, said: “Paul is without a doubt one of the nicest guys in the industry.
“I’ve known him for the past 15 years and he’s always been willing to roll up his sleeves in however high up a position he’s been in. He’s good fun to be with and he’s the epitome of the professional person in the industry.”
David Hollingworth, communications director at Bath-based London & Country, said: “Paul has huge experience in the mortgage market and he’ll know everyone who’s anyone. I’d like to wish him all the best and from what I’ve seen I don’t expect him to be away from the industry for too long.
“He knows the market backwards. Before The Mortgage Works came along he was at Sun Bank so he knows the specialist sector very well and he’s been a prominent character in that market.”
Ying Tan, managing director of The Buy-to-Let Business, said: “Paul was instrumental in building the relationship with us. He is one of a kind in the industry, a very charismatic person in the industry who earned the respect of all around him.
“He came to us in 2008 and said he wanted 10% of our business and today we place around 40% of our business with them.
“We wish Paul all the best. He’s a stalwart in the industry and wherever he goes I have no doubt he’ll be a success. He’ll surely be missed in our relationship with Nationwide but I’m sure we’ll cross paths again somewhere else.”
Stephen Smith, director of housing & external affairs, Legal & General network, said: "Paul has done an excellent job for Nationwide in recent years in how they have demontrated their commitment and expertise into the broker market. We've always enjoyed our business relationship with Paul and we wish him well for whatever he does in the future."
