Kelly Rule

An interview with Kelly Rule: It's 'so important' to keep up to date with lender service timescales




In an interview with Bridging & Commercial, Kelly Rule, appointed representative at VIBE Finance, weighs in on the current state of the specialist finance industry and desired changes for the broker market.

What would you say are the biggest challenges that the industry is facing at the moment?

If you asked me this question last year, it would’ve been the dreaded ‘B’ word, but as of 2020 this has turned into a positive with many investors now buying and raising capital against their existing assets. 

I think one of the biggest challenges is that we are spoilt for choice. There are so many lenders out there now competing against each other with very attractive terms and sometimes this can be quite daunting when giving advice, especially when the majority of specialist lenders do not appear on the sourcing sites. For me, it’s about concentrating on the client’s needs and suggesting a lender(s) that suit those needs accordingly. It’s also so important to keep up to date with service timescales as each lender can experience busy periods. Here at VIBE, we have great relationships with, not only our BDMs, but the operational teams also, which helps us to always remain on the front foot. 

Where do you see things going in the current political climate with Brexit?

If anything, this seems to have had such a positive impact. Typically, December is a quiet month in our industry, but we have been really busy with new enquiries over the Christmas period, which is great to see. I strongly believe that the UK and the economy are less nervous now to make that move which is great for us brokers. 

What changes would you like to see in the future for the sector?

Online portals and calculators are great tools for us. Being able to quote a client quickly is key, especially in bridging, where speed is of the essence. Unfortunately, only a handful of lenders have interactive websites currently. It would be really helpful if more jumped on board with this. 

Why did you decide to join VIBE Finance?

I have known Kim [McGinley, director at VIBE Finance] for circa 20 years, and she has built a very successful brokerage which has a fantastic reputation within the industry. Since starting my own family, it was so important for me to find a role that gave me the work-life balance that I needed, which VIBE offers with full flexibility and support. 

How did you get into the industry?

I think everyone says the same thing: purely by chance. My mum was a branch manager at Nationwide for a lot of my childhood years and, as an impressionable child, I of course aspired to be like my parents. And the fact that I realised that being a nanny wouldn’t make me rich, the offer of working for Santander as a starting point looked very appealing. The rest is history! 

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

This is a great question — either work for the royal family, in some shape or form as I am a big fan, or, if money wasn’t an option, then being at home raising my babies!

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