Dale Jannels

An interview with Dale Jannels: 'lenders entering any sector must think more laterally when it comes to their proposition'




Impact Specialist Finance has seen an increase of around 10% in applications following its rebrand from All Types of Mortgages (AToM) in January.

Bridging & Commercial caught up with Dale Jannels, managing director at Impact (pictured above), to talk about advice for brokers and concerns for the bridging market.

How has your business been affected as a result of your rebrand six months ago?

It was sad to lose the very well-known and highly respected AToM name as it’s served us incredibly well over the last 27 years. However, change comes to us all and in the modern mortgage market we must embrace it in order to continue moving forward. Since the relaunch we have worked hard to ensure all our strategic partners understood the transition. The response has been hugely positive, and it has also opened up avenues for us to form new alliances and generate additional opportunities. 

As a DA, we are now in a much stronger position to offer support for brokers who may not have expertise in — or where their network partner may not allow them to advise on — certain sectors, such as bridging. This allows a broker to assist their clients on a referral basis and we can work together to make sure the client receives the right level of specialist advice and access to the solutions which match their needs.

The bridging market is currently seeing an influx of new entrants. Does that create more product innovation or confusion for brokers?

Product innovation and increased choice will benefit any sector but, in a sometimes-misunderstood marketplace, such as bridging, it can also generate an additional layer of confusion for some parties.

Education remains the key in helping to grow this market as all too many consumers and, to a certain extent, intermediaries are still not fully aware of its wide-ranging benefits. The negative perceptions of old remain difficult to shake off even though professional standards have been raised to unparalleled levels in recent times. New entrants can help raise these standards even further and better support the education process to add greater clarity and transparency throughout the bridging sector, not to mention generate additional opportunities for the intermediary market.

What advice would you give to brokers who are new to the bridging finance market?

Explore all your options and dig a little bit deeper to identify how this product type can work for your clients and the scenarios where it might be a viable option.

Having said that, it can often be a complex transaction which requires speed, specialist knowledge and relationships in order to meet tight deadlines. So, I urge brokers to speak with specialists who work in this area day in, day out as they can quickly recognise how to move forward with certain cases and know the types of lenders who can provide the right solution in a timely manner. 

For example, here at Impact Specialist Finance we offer a referral service to brokers who do not specialise in such specialist areas. In such cases, the broker is happy as their client’s needs are served, clients are retained and the broker also receives a proc fee. Meaning it’s a win-win for all concerned.

Are lenders missing a trick in any areas of the specialist finance industry?

This depends on the lender in question. Just because there is untapped potential in certain sectors, it doesn’t mean that all lenders should converge en masse as not everyone will have the infrastructure, expertise or personnel to succeed. Take bridging finance. This is one of the more niche areas of specialist lending and not one to be entered into lightly. Providers need to know how to structure deals, realise borrower’s initial needs and exit requirements, lending on GDV, I could go on and on. Meaning this isn’t an area for everyone, although opportunities do remain if launches are well-planned and executed in the right manner. 

What are your biggest concerns for the specialist finance market this year?

Following on from the previous question, lenders entering any sector must think more laterally when it comes to their proposition and not simply chase volume. This is especially the case for high street lenders, who are used to volume, volume and more volume. Entrants with this sole intention can sometimes prove detrimental to the sector in question, and this is a slight fear for me in the current environment. 

How did you get into the industry?

AToM and now Impact Specialist Finance have been, and always will be, an independent, family run business. My parents started the business from their front room, and it felt natural for me to follow in their footsteps — as has proved the case with other family members.

If you didn’t work in finance, what would you be doing?

Either something to do with cars, or something to do with building. I like to be busy and keep myself active (not physically!) by tinkering with things. So, construction or mechanics would have been a good fit.

1 Comments

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    talentcorp

    I love it when folks get together and share opinions. Great blog, stick with it!

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