Morris will manage the high street bank’s residential portfolio of assets valued at around £177bn, representing an 11% market share, with 1.8 million customers.

The lender says his responsibilities include, driving new mortgage business, and boosting data-driven solutions for its mortgage customers.

Morris will join from Yorkshire Building Society later this year, where he has worked for six years and will leave as chief commercial officer.

During his time at the mutual, he was also chairman of its broker-only arm Accord Mortgages for his last two-and-a-half years at the business.

At Santander, Morris will report to the bank’s UK’s retail & business banking chief executive Enrique Alvarez.

Aaron Shinwell chief operating officer at the Homes division had been acting as the head of the unit since the start of the year.

Alvarez says: “He [Morris] brings a huge amount of experience, most recently in designing and implementing a new mortgage trading strategy at Yorkshire Building Society.”

Morris adds that his new role at Santander allows him “to further develop and transform the mortgage proposition for the benefit of both new and existing borrowers”.