Role

Working closely with the Commercial & Product, Operations and Risk teams to support Financial Intermediaries and SMEs in underwriting a range of loans across the Buy-to-Let (BTL) product set – including but not limited to, portfolio landlords, corporate structures and complex properties.

Company

Founded in a melting pot of ideas, with the power to make others shine. At Birmingham Bank we exist to make impossible dreams become possible.

Empowering people’s ambitious journeys. Through work. Through life.

We offer hybrid working options, a modern office space located in the heart of Birmingham and a range of benefits designed to allow you to operate at your best. Trustworthy, Ambitious and Dedicated are the values we live by and through which we support our customers ambitions.

It’s been said in Birmingham, “they make useful things and make them well.” At Birmingham Bank we only do useful banking and always do banking well.

Birmingham Bank – Better Banking, Made for You

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Underwriting, the successful candidate will be responsible, through attitude and actions, for assessing new lending applications for risk and quality, whilst adhering to the Bank’s policies and risk appetite.

This includes preparing detailed underwriting notes in support of credit proposals, approving and rejecting applications in line with policy, or recommending to the Head of Underwriting, where mandate levels are exceeded. Communicating decisions with Relationship Management and Operations colleagues in a transparent and constructive manner.

The Bank is developing it’s BTL proposition and enablers including systems, processes, policies and people. This role presents an opportunity for the right candidate to help shape and improve our BTL strategy, working with a small team of underwriters to leverage capability and knowledge.

Key Tasks

• Analysing loan applications to support intermediaries and their customers, reviewing documentation for completeness and adherence to credit policy.
• Ensuring compliance with legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Provide a timely decision, whether this be an accept or a decline; to be able to ask for further information and be accountable for this, should questions be asked.
• Present as a point of contact for queries in relation to underwriting decisions, both with internal and external stakeholders.
• Be confident providing feedback on the quality and wholeness of applications.
• To consistently work in an efficient and productive manner, being curious and raising opportunities for process improvements, with perspective from a colleague and an intermediary viewpoint.
• Produce clear and concise risk analysis and develop and maintain underwriting procedures.
• Provide an excellent standard of customer service, contributing effectively to the Bank’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
• To act, at all times, in line with Bank’s core values of being trustworthy, ambitious and dedicated.

Experience

• 3 years’ experience underwriting simple and complex BTL products, with a proven critical analysis of information pertaining to the financial standing of prospective borrowers.
• Currently hold a Delegated Lending Authority (DLA) of a minimum of £500,000.
• Ability to underwrite manually, according to the Bank’s credit policy, across multiple BTL types i.e. portfolio landlords, HMO and MUB properties, limited company and LLP entities.
• Strong understanding of regulatory requirements, including the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) and the FCA Handbook.

Qualifications & Personal Characteristics

• A passion for delivering an exceptional customer experience with a customer-centric approach to work.
• High attention to detail, and sound and reasoned judgement, based on an independent and thorough analysis of facts and relevant factors, including internal policies and regulations.
• The ability to work in a team environment and build strong working relationships with peers to contribute to team goals.
• Be an effective communicator and talented collaborator, who can bring colleagues together to reach the best way forward for the customer and the Bank.
• Strong numerical and time management skills, working to tight deadlines to ensure tasks are completed within agreed timeframes.
• Competent using Excel and have an understanding of intermediate calculations.
• Eager to learn and grow with the Bank, being genuinely excited about this unique opportunity.

Benefits

– Pension employer contribution of 8%
– Death in Service 4x salary
– Private Health Care – sole cover
– Holiday 26 days per year + bank holidays
– Gym passes (2 per week)
– Employee Assistance Programme, including up to 6 counselling sessions per year
– Corporate eyecare scheme (eye test voucher and money off prescription glasses if required solely for VDU)
– Bike to work scheme