Recognising exceptional performance in 2025, these are the only annual rankings celebrating service in the UK mortgage lending industry.

Mortgage brokers are called on to provide invaluable feedback through the survey, acknowledging both achievements and areas that require improvement, to ultimately lead to better client outcomes.

Since the rankings were first launched, the industry has experienced testing periods of volatility – from Covid, the Truss/Kwarteng ‘mini- budget, to a cost-of-living crisis. The sector has had much to endure; and this is all the more reason to celebrate those who have overcame adversity to provide excellent service.

Openwork Partnership proposition director Paul Shearman explains why the MFG Rated for Service rankings are so important in this market.

“We closely engage with our advisers and we get their feedback all the time. However, the real strength of this survey is that you get a much broader, industry view – not just from our advisers but from the other networks like MAB, Primis, Quilter, Stonebridge, HLP etcetera as well as the smaller DAs and those that use the bigger clubs.”

The number of advisers completing the survey has increased steadily year on year as has the depth of feedback given.  As Shearman explains, brokers know that their feedback will be directly relayed to lenders. “That is one of the main reasons brokers hold Rated for Service in such high regard.”

Openwork Partnership mortgage proposition manager David Booth is keen to stress that the rationale behind the survey is about promoting positive change not finger pointing. “MFG Rated for Service has and will never be about lender bashing. We work in partnership with lenders. Our qualitative and quantitative feedback helps them identify areas where they are strongest and also areas they can improve.”

Booth accepts that at the inception of Rated for Service there was some wariness from lenders that the survey might be used to name and shame – but that has never been the case.

And as Shearman elaborates: “Lenders look forward to seeing the latest set of results. If they see that their ‘strategic focus score’ is not as good as some other lenders, they can look at what they can do to improve this.

“And it is important to remember the value of positive feedback. For instance, with sales support and BDMs, brokers sometimes reference individuals who have really delivered – and this feedback is incredibly well received.”

What makes Rated for Service different, Booth points out, is the information available to lenders on their dashboard.

“Whilst lenders do conduct their own surveys, they don’t have benchmarks. With the MFG dashboard they can drill down into the data and say, ‘where do we sit against the benchmark’ and ‘in what areas are we ahead of or behind our peers’.”

So what of this year’s Rated for Service, what can we expect?

“Last year, tech was the lowest scoring area and from our conversations with lenders over the last 12 months it feels like many players have made significant steps forward. A number of lenders have really delivered over the last year, and it will be interesting to see if that is reflected in the scores,” Shearman says.

Booth adds: “MFG Rated for Service is not singlehandedly going to drive innovation, improved product offerings, and service levels, but it plays a part. And as the industry evolves, we structure the survey to factor in changes, whether that be AI, digital development, and how that impacts on mortgage advisers now and in the future.”

MFG Rated for Service is based on a comprehensive annual survey that tracks brokers’ assessments of the lenders’ levels of service over the last 12 months.

Lenders are appraised across five key assessment areas within three separate peer groups categorised as mainstream, specialist and buy-to-let. Your voice counts and your experiences matter.

The survey takes just 15 minutes to complete and is entirely anonymous. Participants also have an opportunity to win one of four £250 John Lewis vouchers. Prize draw T&Cs: Mortgage Finance Gazette Rated for Service – Mortgage Finance Gazette

To complete the survey, follow the link here  MFG Rated for Service, Winter 2025/26 Survey

If you are a lender or network, we would strongly encourage you to prompt your broker networks to give us their views to ensure they are represented and we would be happy to provide any marketing assets to you to assist with this.

Please contact [email protected] for further information and promotional assets.

The survey closes on Tuesday 13th January 2026 and results will be revealed and published in Mortgage Finance Gazette and Mortgage Strategy in March 2026.