Stuart Bernau, Commercial & Treasury Director of Nationwide Building Society, today becomes Chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. He succeeds Anne Gunther of Standard Life Bank. Stuart joined Nationwide in 1990, following an earlier period at NatWest. At Nationwide he has held a number of different positions, and was appointed to the board in 1996. He is on the board of the Financial Services Skills Council, and is a passionate advocate of service excellence.
The CML's new Deputy Chairmen are Charles Haresnape, Director of Mortgage Sales and Intermediary Development at the RBS Group, and Jon Pain, Managing Director of Cheltenham & Gloucester and Lloyds TSB Bank Savings.
Commenting on his appointment, Stuart Bernau said:
"2004 was a year of major change for the mortgage industry, with the advent of FSA regulation. In 2005 the industry needs time to bed down on the regulatory front. One of my aims is therefore to make sure that UK and European regulatory developments do not cause short-term disruption so soon after the FSA's wholesale overhaul of mortgage regulation.
"2005 is also set to be a slower year for the mortgage industry in terms of business volumes, and this will provide another challenge. Another priority for the CML will be negotiating with policymakers to get the right framework in place for a long-term affordable, sustainable, flexible housing market."
