Describe your firm in a few sentences.

We are a small but very busy, family-run business in the heart of Bicester. I have been in the business for nearly 20 years and focus on mortgages. I also work closely alongside my personal assistant of nearly 12 years, Vicky Rock, and my daughter, Nina, who after finishing her Master’s degree decided to come over to the business and build up the protection side.

Luckily, Nina is loving the job and also smashing it! My son, Joe, has just passed his CeMap 1 exam and, after completing 2 and 3 shortly, will join me as a mortgage broker.

We are passionate about our clients’ journeys and treat every person as we would like to be treated. We are also proud to be part of Primis Mortgage Network. They guide me along my way.

What led you to become a broker?

I previously worked as a recruitment consultant in London, so I was very used to dealing with a fast-paced environment and working with the public. After starting a family, I moved to Oxfordshire and wanted to be able to work from home while looking after my daughter.

Buying my first home and getting on well with my mortgage broker were the start of my mortgage career and I’ve not looked back since.

I think all firms should help individuals wanting to come into this industry with their CeMap qualifications

I am still as passionate about my job as on the day I started. I love the rewarding feeling of helping people to buy their first home and watching their family grow over the years, or helping someone to save thousands of pounds by getting them a better deal. It’s an amazing feeling.

What plans do you have for the future of your firm?

My plans are to make sure my business keeps going from strength to strength, and to ensure both my children become more successful than their mother.

Now having a larger team means we can expand into different areas and help even more customers, which we are looking forward to.

What single thing could lenders do to improve brokers’ lives the most?

This is an easy question to answer: please give us access to the underwriters.

Some banks and building societies have it spot on, but others leave us having to decipher their message and requirements.

I also think there needs to be continuity for each case, with the same underwriter handling each mortgage, because sometimes you receive different requests about the same case from different underwriters.

What advice do you have for a broker just starting out?

Try, try and try again! Do not let the bad days overwhelm you or make you give up. This is a great career, with so many positives. Just remember to treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

Make sure you join a network like Primis, where you will receive continual training and support and you will always have a member of staff or another broker who is happy to help and guide you.

How can the industry encourage a new intake of brokers?

I encouraged my children to join Pam Brown Mortgages for several reasons.

For my daughter it was because I wanted her to be able to work part time when she went on to have a family and still earn a good salary.

My son was for a different reason. He has Crohn’s disease and can sporadically become ill, so I wanted him to not have the pressure of a 9-to-5 job as an employee.

This is a great career, with so many positives. Just remember to treat everyone as you’d want to be treated

Being a mortgage broker means having the ability to work from home, as and when needed. As the past 18 months have proved, we do not need to see clients face to face anymore and everything can be done remotely thanks to the world of Zoom.

As for the industry, I think all firms should help individuals wanting to come into this industry with their CeMap qualifications.

This support could include courses and training days, plus helping financially towards the mortgage and protection qualifications required.

If you would like your firm to be featured in Broker Focus, please email Mortgage Strategy deputy editor Gary Adams at: [email protected]