Brokers have reacted angerly to A&L’s lack of intermediary support after being advised to send clients into branches or to go direct via the telephone.
Debbie Perks, mortgage adviser at Karen Blakeley Ltd, explained the frustration of losing clients through not being able to port applications.
She said: “We are doing what is best for the client and that results in us losing their business. I can’t tell a client to wait indefinitely on the premise of the A&L sorting out its systems. I have been given two dates by my BDM, both of which have now passed.”
She added: “They should have interim arrangements in place or waive the early redemption charges. We are losing valuble time on clients we ultimately can’t help and this defeats the object of using an independent adviser rather than going direct.”
Mehrdad Yousefi, head of intermediary mortgages at A&L, said: “Existing customers wanting to port their mortgage can do this direct (by telephone) or by popping into one of our branches. This facility will be available through intermediaries by 30 November.
“Mortgage intermediaries are incredibly important to Alliance & Leicester and during this short period of time until porting KFIs are available to intermediaries we are very keen to help intermediaries.
“Intermediaries with customers in this situation should contact their BDM who will look at every case on an individual basis to help both the broker and consumer.”
However David Patrickson, a mortgage adviser at Doncaster-based Ideal Financial Management Ltd, fumed: “I should still get a proc fee for doing the work involved. I tried to go to my BDM but he is off on long-term sick leave and the guy who replaced him has his phone off.”
