As we power towards the year end, there has been plenty to reflect on in 2016 – another year of change both in the world at large and in the mortgage industry.

For our part, at NatWest, we have had some changes of our own in recent weeks. With the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme coming to a close at the end of the year, we acted early in launching two new 95% LTV deals to replace the products that had been in place specifically to support the scheme. With less restrictive criteria it means that more of your customers will be able to apply for a 95% LTV mortgage on an existing, not New Build, property.

We also recently launched a new broker web site to provide you with a much improved online experience by redesigning the navigation and content.

From the NatWest home page, you are now able to quickly register or log in, submit business and access helpful tools including the LiveTALK instant messaging service, our popular affordability calculator, the ‘real-time’ Mortgage Application Tracker and find up-to-date processing timescales.

We’ve also introduced a new A-Z of lending criteria that provides a comprehensive run-down of many of the common policy queries that get raised.

Looking forward to the New Year, we will all have to get to grips with the new PRA regulations being introduced for assessing affordability for buy-to-let mortgage applications. We have already begun the communications process for this so you’ll be hearing from your BDM very soon.

New Build is an area of the market that will be keenly watched. Last month, we held a round table event, in conjunction with Mortgage Introducer, on this sector. The panel debated a number of issues that they felt that the industry needed to address. For the market to progress, they felt the priorities were:

• Look at planning regulation and how to free up planning at the start of the process
• Address the labour shortages by investing in apprenticeship schemes
• Get full lender support for the new tenures that are coming on board
• Have a housing minister that is in office for the long term
• Ability for lenders to offer higher LTV mortgages on New Build properties
• Large scale social and affordable housing whether for renting to buy or custom build

So, thank you for your support in 2016, have a great Christmas from myself and the team at NatWest, and we will see you in the New Year.