The awards are voted for by Paradigm’s directly authorised Partner members each month and the results have been collated over the course of 2014 to decide the winners.
Bob Hunt, chief executive of Paradigm Mortgage Services, said: “We are very pleased to announce the first yearly winners of the Paradigm Lender and Provider Awards which provide a real understanding of those businesses that consistently delivered excellence over the course of the last 12 months.
“Our aim in establishing the awards was to offer our Partner firms the chance to give their views on the products and services they were receiving from our lender and provider panel members and to encourage an ongoing commitment to quality.
“2014 was certainly an eventful year, particularly for the mortgage market, and those recognised today have certainly earned their awards during what was a challenging period, especially in terms of the implementation of the Mortgage Market Review.
“The challenge for all our lender and provider partners, as well as ourselves and our member firms, is to continue to focus on delivering great propositions and service to our customers and ensuring we are not just fit for purpose but operating to our maximum potential.
“Voting for the top performers of 2015 will soon be underway and we hope that those organisations who have claimed their awards today, and those who did not achieve this accolade, will continue to up their game during what promises to be a very positive and exciting year ahead.”
OVERALL WINNERS FOR 2014
Best Overall Lender: Nationwide for Intermediaries
Best Residential Lender: NatWest Intermediary Solutions
Best Buy-to-let Lender: The Mortgage Works (TMW)
Best Specialist Lender: Precise Mortgages
Best Equity Release Lender: Just Retirement
Best Life Protection Provider: Friends Life
Best General Insurance Provider: Legal & General
Best Critical/Serious Illness Provider: PruProtect – now Vitality Life
Best Income Protection Provider: Exeter Family Friendly
Strategic Partner of the Year: Brightstar Financial
Paradigm’s partner members vote monthly for their top three lenders and providers in each category, enabling Paradigm to provide an ongoing snapshot of advisers’ views throughout the course of the year. This annual process ensures those lenders and providers who consistently deliver service excellence are appropriately recognised.
Paradigm personnel also voted for their Strategic Partner of the Year, a special category for the business which is judged to have excelled in its support of the Paradigm Group. The winner for 2014 was Brightstar Financial.
