Broker forum cherryplc.co.uk has revealed which lenders have performed best throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in the eyes of brokers.

Lenders which have performed well, particularly relating to consistently high service levels, include Halifax, Coventry for intermediaries, Accord Mortgages, HSBC and Santander. Halifax also received praise for the speed of its offers.

In addition, the study highlighted problem areas relating to lenders who have faired less well.

Feedback showed that key areas of broker frustration included processing delays, difficulties with telephone access and long ‘on-hold’ times, as well as problems contacting BDMs.

Where appropriate, these findings were brought to the attention of the companies concerned. To their credit, many expressed a keenness to engage with brokers in order to improve lender / broker dialogue and work together to find solutions.

Coventry for intermediaries head of intermediary relationships Jonathan Stinton, which has been praised by brokers on the online forum, comments: “We’re delighted to receive this recognition of the hard work our teams have been putting in throughout the pandemic.

“Our focus has been on delivering the best possible service levels throughout, making sure brokers could contact their BDMs or talk to us over the phone whenever they needed to.

“We even launched a new web chat service to help answer some of the more simple questions rapidly.”

Cherry director Donna Hopton says: “The lenders that appear to be best regarded by brokers throughout these difficult times are the ones that managed to maintain consistent high levels of service as well as impressive speeds to offer.

“Conversely, brokers have naturally been less positive about lenders with whom they have experienced processing delays and other frustrations.

“The cherry forum has always been a great place for brokers to give constructive feedback about lender performance at all levels. Our aim is to ensure that lenders who wish to learn from, and engage in dialogue with brokers, have the means to so successfully.

“The end game for us, is to be instrumental in raising industry standards and experience has taught us that creating dialogue between brokers and lenders, even when sometimes feedback is poor, can often result in very positive outcomes for all concerned – especially consumers.”