The association, which concentrates on representing regional packagers and helping them compete against the larger players in the industry, now has 19 members and said it is on course to meet its own target of 25 members by the end of March.
Select Partnership, based in Chester, and Residential One, in Bromley, now give Freehold a combined distribution of £1.5 billion and Paul Brett, spokesman for Freehold, was delighted to see them become part of the association. “We are very pleased to welcome Select Partnership and Residential One to the group,” he said.
“Packagers are really beginning to recognise the importance of becoming part of a group like Freehold, which can pool resources to allow members to compete with bigger players on products and fees,” he said.
Shaun Vickery, partner at Select Partnership, said he believed being part of a larger group of packagers will help improve his business.
He said: “Becoming part of Freehold allows us to maintain our identity but benefit from the superior buying power of being part of a group. Freehold also recognises the importance of service standards both to customers and lenders, which we fully support.”
Terry Pritchard of Chase Group, a founder member of Freehold, said: “The future for packagers lies in being part of a larger group and Freehold gives us the best chance of staying at the forefront of mortgage origination for the foreseeable future.”
