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Connect Academy

Connect Academy

Introducing Connect Academy, helping you become a confident and competent adviser in the specialist mortgage market.

Our courses are not simple static e-learning, they are fully interactive and presented live throughout a week, by various hosts and specialists!

Connect Academy

In the residential market, an adviser must hold a mortgage qualification and be supervised until they can demonstrate that they are a competent adviser.

There is no such requirement in certain parts of the specialist market, so technically, someone could be working as a builder one day and set themselves up as a Commercial, Bridging and BTL broker the next day without qualification or, for most of the sales, without FCA regulation! However, most lenders will not accept an application from an adviser who is not part of a regulated environment.

Do I need CeMAP to be a Mortgage Advisor?

The number of lenders accepting business from non-regulated brokers has diminished. Even when the lenders offer non-regulated products, they still prefer to deal only with regulated brokers. Our Academy is designed to enable those with less experience to enter the market and benefit from starting or growing their own flexible specialist mortgage business.

Even for those with a qualification, there is more that a Mortgage Adviser needs to learn and understand,  including fact-finding, researching, presenting the solutions and giving advice. The Academy will help candidates develop their mortgage knowledge, focusing on understanding the criteria and lender offerings in the specialist market.

The Academy will be offered to candidates who are deemed capable. This could be brokers returning to the industry, accountants and people with financial backgrounds, property-experienced individuals, and estate agents or letting agents. The Academy can support existing businesses looking to grow or new start-up businesses.

One of the key benefits of running a mortgage business is the flexibility of working hours and your work location. Our CEO, Liz Syms, grew the business to over 35 staff members, supporting over 150 advisers around the UK whilst raising 3 children.

Curriculum will include:

  • Money Laundering
  • Data Protection
  • Complaints
  • Understanding the mortgage basics
  • Treating customers fairly
  • Calculating BTL rental affordability
  • HMO and multi-unit property
  • Bridge finance- refurbishments and other uses
  • Commercial and business funding
  • Lender criteria complexities
  • Fact finding
  • Understanding a credit file
  • Understanding accounts and complex income
  • Using Research tools like Knowledge Bank
  • Creating an illustration in Twenty7tec
  • Lender resources case studies
  • Presenting solutions and closing the sale
  • Application process
  • Using OMS for submissions
  • Using OMS for tracking
  • Documentation standards
  • Undertaking risk checks
  • Customer Service Standards
  • Networking
  • Social media
  • Email marketing
  • Advertising approvals
  • Existing customers and personal recommendations

Why Connect Mortgage Academy?

We believe we’ve outlined the fundamental reasons why an aspiring mortgage adviser should consider joining the Connect Academy. However, there’s more to explore, from comprehensive training to a supportive community that encourages professional growth.

Requirements

To become a Connect Academy, a mortgage qualification is not required (residential loans are not part of this course). Candidates, however, should have some knowledge of the market, have the ability to learn and bring a laptop for hands-on learning during their training week.

Connect Academy members with the appropriate mortgage qualification will have an opportunity also to become authorised under Connect for residential mortgages and achieve their Competent Adviser Status. 

Content

Connect Academy candidates will be provided with pre-course material to ensure they have a minimum level of knowledge to maximise their learning during the Academy week.

On completion of the course, the Connect Academy candidates will also have access to the course material and additional learning materials to help their continued knowledge growth.

Moving Forward

Connect Academy candidates will be fully authorised to trade in the mortgage market as part of the Connect Mortgage Network.  Connect Academy candidates will be fully supported as they grow their business, including support to help them find solutions for their clients’ cases. The team will mentor the candidate’s growth and development in the months following the course to help them achieve a successful business.