Insights

Q: Can you tell us about your career journey so far?

I’m approaching twenty years in the financial services industry, having started my career in asset finance before moving into mortgage roles. Since joining Bank of Ireland in 2013, I have always worked closely with underwriting teams.

After several years as a Mortgage Underwriter, I progressed to managing an underwriting team. Currently, I’m a Senior Manager in Operations, overseeing the Lending Quality and Credit Assessment teams. My role is varied and dynamic, and with the bank's ongoing transformation, I’m constantly learning new things.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you, and what are some of your key responsibilities?

There is never a typical day in Operations, which is part of what makes my role so enjoyable due to its broad scope. A day might begin with meetings to discuss upcoming improvements to processes or lending criteria, followed by reviewing training materials for underwriters, and then examining documents for a complex application.

My teams cover a wide range of areas, but from a lending perspective, we’re ultimately responsible for ensuring underwriting quality. We provide expertise in interpreting and applying lending policies, ensuring that new lending aligns with our risk appetite. We work closely with the underwriting teams to ensure they have the necessary tools and understanding to excel in their roles and achieve great outcomes for both new and existing customers.

Q: How do you assess the risk associated with different types of mortgage applications?

Effective risk assessments are the product of collaborative efforts across various areas, with the underwriter playing a central role. This process involves leveraging all available tools, such as scorecards, credit reference agency information, and affordability modelling, combined with the evaluation of multiple financial and property elements to determine the feasibility of proceeding.

Understanding a risk and considering its interaction with other risks is a crucial aspect of assessment. This is achieved through an individual's own experience and working closely with clearly defined policies and processes.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you and your team face and how do you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges we face is balancing the work required for our long-term goals with the urgent demands that often arise in a busy operations environment. Managing this balance can be tricky, but we strive to mitigate it wherever possible. Our team is accustomed to being flexible, effectively prioritising their time based on the needs of each day and working closely together.

While this is challenging, it’s a common issue across many areas. Despite this, we manage to overcome these challenges to deliver on our long-term goals while also providing the necessary support to other areas to ensure they can deliver for our customers.

Q: How would you describe your approach to being a team leader, and what would be your advice to those embarking on a leadership role?

I’ve been a people manager for several years and have had the privilege of managing numerous colleagues, each with their own unique working style, approach to their role, and career aspirations. Throughout this time, I’ve always strived to be open with my team and encouraged them to be open with me and each other. I believe that openness naturally fosters better collaboration, a sense of value, and improved results.

The importance of the relationship between colleagues and their line manager can sometimes be overlooked. My advice to future team leaders is to recognise this and work hard to be available, open, and clear with your expectations. By doing so, you can create an effective, engaged, and hopefully happy team.

Q: How can brokers improve the quality of applications they submit to make the underwriting process smoother? What might brokers be surprised to know about when it comes to the underwriting process?

There is a misconception among some brokers that underwriters are reluctant to lend. However, my experience has shown the opposite to be true. Underwriters genuinely want to lend and work closely with brokers to achieve this. They often go above and beyond behind the scenes to get something agreed.

Brokers know their clients better than anyone. Not just their income and financial information but also their aspirations, goals and financial objectives. By sharing this information with us and providing the applicant’s individual story, brokers help us better understand their clients' needs to support the decision-making process.