The technical problem occurred on 28 July and prevented all applications, except buy-to-let, from being processed online. It was blamed on an unforeseen problem with the mortgage processing software and was unresolved as Mortgage Introducer went to press.
The lender has so far been unable to confirm when its online system will be fully operational but says it has identified a potential solution which is to be tested over the next few days. It hopes this will enable brokers to process mortgage contracts online as soon as possible.
The online fault has had a knock-on effect on Mortgage Express’ telephone service. An increased volume of calls has meant that, despite being fully operational, the call centre’s service is suffering. Until the problem is rectified, the lender is continuing to accept all applications via post and fax.
The lender has been keeping brokers abreast of the situation by publishing regular updates on its intermediary site. Tim Dawson, managing director of Mortgage Express, issued an apology to brokers for the inconvenience caused and added that, despite the best efforts of its technical team, the fault is taking longer than expected to fix.
He said: “We upgraded our mortgage processing system during the week and this has, despite extensive testing, caused an unexpected problem with our online systems. Mortgage Express accepts paper applications and brokers are welcome to submit applications for any products in this way.”
The problem coincides with warnings by several brokers that lenders have become too reliant on online-based systems to conduct the bulk of their business
