Part of Countrywide plc, its Mortgage Centres includes a packaging operation and a direct-to-consumer arm. Countrywide Mortgage Centres also deals with applications to non-panel lenders originating from Countrywide group branches.
Announcing the addition of Countrywide Mortgage Centres, Jon O’Brien, director of operations at PMPA, said: “Countrywide Mortgage Centres is a highly successful and well-run packaging business, with the backing of a powerful parent, and we are delighted that it has become the latest PMPA member.”
Chris Wilson, managing director of Countrywide Mortgage Centres, explained it was keen to enjoy the exclusive product benefits that the PMPA can offer, adding it was keen to belong to a community of like-minded professional mortgage packagers. Both PMPA and Countrywide are confident of a long and mutually beneficial professional relationship as both organisations continue to grow successfully in the future.”
Cath Hearnden, director at My Mortgage Direct, said the addition of Countrywide Mortgage Centres to the PMPA membership could benefit its members. She said: “In the mortgage market it is good to be able to offer different options. The more packagers can offer, the more business they can get through and deal with.”
However, she admitted packagers might only be useful in some circumstances, and were not suitable for all types of business. “Packagers need to offer a different service if they are to be used and if the consensus is that consumers are getting better deals as a result of using packagers, then that is good,” she said.
