My alarm goes off at…
…6.30am when I am in the office for an 8.30am start. I like to take my mornings calm and slow. Breakfast isn’t an essential part of my morning, but if I do, my go-to is berries, yogurt and granola.
I tend to stick to a routine during the week, although when I am working from home (two days a week), I may sneak an extra hour or so in bed.
The past 18 months have taught me…
…not to take the small things for granted like the importance of taking time for myself, seeing family and friends, and being able to go on unplanned days out like a picnic in a nice park or casual walk.
This has taught me I don’t need to spend a fortune to have a good time, which in return is also good for my bank balance.
The main purpose of my job is…
…supporting a large percentage of the broker population with their landlord clients complex buy-to-let cases.
A perk is having our chief morale officer (office dog), Hollie
My role is to ensure that each application is reviewed in detail and that it meets our lending criteria, while actively seeking solutions and weighing out the risk for cases to get them over the finishing line.
A common misconception about my role is…
…that our decisions are made by computers and automated.
We are humans who have our own individual mandates that allow us to make our own decisions based on the details provided. Every application is different, which is why they are all underwritten manually.
The past 18 months have taught me not to take the small things for granted
My typical day entails…
…making myself a nice warm cup of tea when I first get into the office and then catching up with the team.
We then look into what we have in our queue to complete to keep within our SLAs. These will include agreement in principles, referrals from our Pre-offer or Completions department, and reviewing full mortgage applications.
Every application is different, which is why they are all underwritten manually
We are always on hand to support our internal teams, especially as the underwriters don’t speak directly to brokers. Therefore, we manage an internal dedicated inbox, as well as communicate everyday with our pre-offer team who make and answer calls for queries on current cases.
My favourite recent work memory is…
…a work activity day at a local farm, which included activities such as quad biking, off-road jeep driving while blindfolded, rocket making and more.
I guess the one part of that day that really sticks in my mind is trying to control a golf buggy with a colleague where the steering had been put back to front, and right was left and left was right, and we had to drive around an obstacle course dodging the orange cones.
As we are all based in one office, we can work closely with different departments
It’s safe to say, I hit every cone, but provided a lot of entertainment for everyone watching.
I joined Keystone last October during the pandemic, so a lot of the time so far has been working from home. Thankfully restrictions have now eased and the company has been able to return to the office and enjoy more events together.
A perk of the job is…
…being able to gain a detailed understanding of the mortgage cycle from start to finish.
As we are all based in one office, we can work closely with different departments — from Sales to Completions and not forgetting our Serving department for existing customers. This is also great for team building and getting to know everyone in the company.
A common misconception about my role is that our decisions are made by computers and automated
Another perk is having our chief morale officer (office dog), Hollie.
To unwind after work, I…
…jump straight into my car and put on some music or a podcast. Music is my therapy and I love to be able to escape into the sound.
I also love to catch up with friends and family, and maybe find a new comedy show or stand-up to go and watch together.
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