Brian Donaldson, director of Cullin Mortgage & Insurance Connections Ltd, said he had been forced to recommend his client go to the island’s Halifax branch to access a 4.99 per cent deal, as the best he could offer was a 5.14 per cent product.
“I've been working on a remortgage for a client who has a bank account with the Halifax. I've told him that he should go for the Halifax branch deal but it means that all the work I've put in up until now is for nought,” he explained.
Donaldson complained: “This will affect brokers across the country but especially so in my area where word of mouth is legend. There are four brokers here and this will affect us all.
“All we want is to be on a level-playing field. It makes me mad because Halifax in recent weeks have been pushing us for business and we've been happy to give it to them because their service has been spot on.”
Halifax spokesperson Paul Fincham sought to reassure Donaldson that the lender did not have a policy of undercutting its intermediary partners.
“We are 110 per cent behind brokers as our investment in technology and our service has proved. There is no question of us wanting to marginalise brokers on the Isle of Skye,” he said.
“From time to time we have different promotions which will only be available via brokers or from our branch network; this does not mean that we favour one over the other.”
