Santander UK has appointed Ben Merritt as head of mortgage trading.

Merritt joins Santander from Yorkshire Building Society, where he was director of mortgages, as well as an executive director at Accord.

Merritt will report into David Morris, Santander UK’s head of homes.

Merritt will be responsible for carrying out Santander UK’s mortgage strategy and delivering sustainable lending growth.

A Santander statement said: “His role oversees the trading performance across the mortgage portfolio, with key priorities including developing the lender’s retention strategy, strengthening customer relationships, and supporting long term portfolio value.”

Santander UK head of homes David Morris said: “I am delighted to welcome Ben to the team. He brings a huge amount of experience, most recently at Yorkshire Building Society where he covered both intermediary and direct brands.”

Merritt said: “I’m excited to bring my experience from the past 15 years to Santander and find ways we can develop its mortgage offering for its new and existing customer base.”