Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with the Green Finance Institute (GFI) to fund a scholarship scheme for mortgage industry professionals to complete the GFI’s Certificate in Financing Greener Homes.
The Lloyds Banking Group-GFI funding partnership will help to support homeowners with energy efficient home upgrades, providing professional training for 300 mortgage intermediaries and 100 Lloyds Banking Group colleagues across Halifax and Birmingham Midshires, including business development managers and specific support teams.
The move by Lloyds Banking Group removes the upfront cost for its intermediary partners and upskills internal teams in an area of growing interest to mortgage borrowers.
For the ‘Certificate in Financing Greener Homes’, the GFI will transfer and augment its LIBF-accredited Certificate in Green Mortgages training masterclass into an on-demand, self-paced, digital learning programme aimed at larger groups of mortgage intermediaries and lenders’ in-house teams.
The initiative follows recent government announcements on the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan, which will include a package of measures to help households finance improvements that cut bills and boost warmth and comfort in the home.
Lloyds Banking Group head of housing and sustainability Andrew Dean says: “The majority of all mortgages go through a mortgage intermediary. They play a crucial role in the provision of green mortgages, and the finance of energy efficient home improvements. Training that builds on a recognised qualification can only be a good thing.”
“By supporting the intermediary sector’s understanding of this area of growing interest for borrowers, we can help drive increased customer awareness, positive outcomes and increased uptake of green home finance products and services.”
GFI green mortgage campaign lead Chloe Timperley adds: “A wave of policy changes is on the horizon to help homeowners make energy efficient home improvements, and the finance sector will have a key role to play.”
“The market has already grown rapidly, from only a handful of green mortgage offerings six years ago to more than 90 today, alongside a tripling of unsecured green loans in three years.”
“The critical next step is increasing take up. That depends on advisers being equipped to have meaningful, everyday conversations with homeowners that help them navigate their options. This training partnership helps position the market to respond confidently to the evolving needs of households.”
