Practitioners can now join the Society, which officially opened for business today (15 November). More than 500 individuals registered their interest in joining the Society following the announcement of its creation in September and will be the first to receive their membership packs.
Richard Fox, chief executive of the Society is not surprised by the high level of interest, he said: “I have spoken at numerous conferences since the Society was first announced and the feedback is overwhelmingly in support; indeed many have said this is long overdue.
“Having a designation for qualified members is extremely important and will play a key part in our strategy to demonstrate the professional commitment of mortgage practitioners to the consumer.”
Mortgage professionals who have passed one of the accredited mortgage regulatory qualifications, or who complete the CII’s new Certificate in Mortgage Advice, may apply for certificate level membership and use of the Cert CII (MP) designation. Society membership will cost £20 for existing CII, SOFA or LIA members until their current subscription expires and £50 per annum thereafter.
Practitioners who do not hold a qualification can still join the Society at member level, however they are not entitled to use any designation. Society membership is initially free for current CII, SOFA and LIA members and then £30 per annum on renewal of their membership.
Membership of the CII, or newly created Personal Finance Society, is a pre-requisite to joining the Society of Mortgage Professionals to ensure that all members abide by the CII’s recently updated Code of Ethics and Conduct. Annual fees for those joining the Society who are not CII, SOFA or LIA members are £50 at certificate level and £30 at member level, as well as the current CII membership fee.
