Online research has overtaken word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family as the most common way to find a mortgage broker, according to Pepper Money.

Over half, or 57%, of people, said they would go online to find a broker, while just 37% said they would rely on advice from friends and family, said the specialist lender’s Adverse Credit Study, published in March.

This overturns the study’s previous findings last autumn, when 55% said they would choose a broker on word-of-mouth recommendations, just beating of online research.

The lender added, “personal recommendation has been the top reason in every wave of the research until now”.

However, in the latest March study, on a different question, just 44% with adverse credit who were looking to buy a property said they would seek advice from a broker, down from 66% last autumn.

Pepper Money sales director Paul Adams says: “The message from this research to brokers is clear. Get online.

“Make sure your website accurately reflects your services, your values, and communicates who you are able to help.

“Make use of social channels to extend your reach and target one review site, encouraging your customers to leave positive reviews.

“More and more customers are conducting research online before speaking to a broker and the more that brokers can enhance their digital presence, the better the chance that more customers will understand the benefits of professional advice.”

Data group YouGov conducted an online survey on behalf of Pepper Money in March, which included a nationally representative sample of 4,242 adults.