My alarm goes off at…

…7am, to get up and ready for work, which starts at 8am.

I’m not much of a morning person so every extra minute in bed counts — I even have my coffee in a ‘to go’ cup!

My role is currently based…

…between our lovely new office at Broadoak in Peterborough (which we moved into only in March this year) and home.

I like being in the office; it has a really good vibe and, when Covid rules allow, I’m looking forward to having more people around. It will be nice to take full advantage of the new colleague area, with a pool table and arcade games.

Working from home is…

…a nice change! The flexibility adds to the work/life balance.

Taking on a new role during the pandemic has been…

…easier than I expected. Of course it was a little daunting leaving previous employment mid-pandemic, but Accord made the transition so smooth. My team couldn’t have been more welcoming and supportive.

I wanted to become an underwriter because…

…as a mortgage broker previously, I was very analytical and always preferred the background work that came with helping people to buy a home.

I worked with Accord during that time and, when an underwriting opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance to learn more about the process from the other side of the fence, this time making the decisions. I love being an underwriter because you really get to know your customers.

Something that surprised me about my job is…

…how no two applications are the same. There is so much variety between the applications I underwrite, the mortgage brokers I work with and the customers we help.

It keeps you on your toes, keeps your mind busy and focused, and makes every application interesting.

My typical day entails…

…checking my emails when I get to work, then looking to see what the current pipeline looks like for new applications and decision-in-principle applications.

Throughout the day I work on a mixture of progressing my own applications towards offer and taking new ones. There are lots of phone calls to brokers to discuss cases in more detail and provide updates throughout.

My favourite work memory is…

…generally social! I’m proud to help people to secure a home, and that gives job satisfaction daily. But Accord is really good with employer recognition and engagement, and we do fun things in our teams. There’s always something on the calendar to look forward to, which gives us an opportunity to unwind with colleagues and get to know each other better.

A perk of the job is…

…helping people to improve their financial situation, assisting them in their day-to-day life and helping them to buy their home.

A common misconception about my job is…

…that the requirements to get a mortgage can be difficult to meet, strict and very black and white, which I often came across as a broker. However, as underwriters we do all we can to help customers to get their mortgage offers.

It’s very common for us to speak to brokers and obtain more detailed explanations around the causes of certain situations so that we can get a better understanding.

We always apply common sense to our lending decisions.

To unwind after work I…

…take my dog, Lola, for a walk and pick up where I left off in my most recent fictional book.

I’m not a great cook. On the days my fiancé is unfortunate enough not to get home before me, I attempt to make dinner, but most of the time it results in Deliveroo!