Just an update
Monday 29th April
This week's headlines:
Lender Fayre 2024 – Your feedback matters
Your feedback matters hugely to us as we continue to evolve our Annual Conference every year.
We would be very grateful if everyone who attended this year’s event would take just a few moments of your time to complete our survey!
Simply visit HERE to complete
Gen H has made changes to its Foreign National Policy
Gen H will now lend up to 90% loan to value (LTV) to applicants without permanent right to reside.
The firm has also removed its minimum income requirements specific to foreign nations, but standard minimum income requirements will still be in place.
Gen H will accept all visas that allow working in the UK, which includes ancestry visas, health and care worker visas and graduate visas. The visa only needs to be valid at the time of application.
The changes will mean that a family on average salaries without indefinite leave to remain with a household income of £45,000 will be able to get a property with Gen H when they couldn’t before.
Karen Appleton, head of lending at Gen H, said: “Gen H is on a mission to help everyone become a homeowner – and this includes people with the right to live and work in the UK, but who may not have indefinite leave to remain or citizenship”
For more information on Gen H criteria click HERE
Kensington offers low deposit mortgage solutions
For your clients who are first-time buyers and/or have a smaller deposit, Kensington offers several solutions with its low-deposit mortgage options, designed to make homeownership more accessible:
Up to 95% Loan to Value (LTV) rates available
Right to Buy up to 100% LTV of the discounted purchase price
Shared Ownership 85%, 90%, and 95% LTV options, subject to affordability
New Build up to 90% LTV of houses and flats, enhanced
LV – New Claims Report
LV= paid out £135 million in personal protection claims in 2023, meaning over 8,000 individuals and families were supported during challenging times in their lives.
The most claimed for conditions by product were:
Income Protection
·Musculoskeletal, including fractures (33%)
·Cancer (23%)
·Mental Health (15%)
Critical Illness
·Cancer (59%)
·Heart attack (10%)
·Stroke (5%)
Life insurance** C (36%)
Business Development Manager!
Your dedicated Self Employed Division key contact is Sophie!
Hi, I’m Sophie Johnson-Fyles. I initially worked at Paymentshield for 3.5 years in various customer service roles. I spent my last year working in our sales operations team which was a great opportunity to enhance my knowledge of the advisor world!
I then left to pursue high-net worth insurance broking for a year and finished my Certificate in Insurance (CII) which really strengthened my knowledge of the industry. I then came back to Paymentshield as a business development manager and I’m excited to share my knowledge with JM advisors. In my spare time I love to cook and spend as much time as possible with my little dog Lou!
Helping your clients when they make a claim
Zurich's bereavement guide is designed to help your clients when they make a claim on their life policy, at what is recognised as a key moment of truth.
Zurich understand that losing someone close is incredibly difficult.
The interactive guide provides a range of useful information beyond the basics of simply notifying a bereavement to Zurich. It includes practical guidance and signposting to help them navigate the often-challenging process of who to notify and what to do, as well as providing a range of emotional support services to help those recently bereaved deal with their loss.
The new guide features:
· A step-by-step guide to notifying a claim with Zurich Life Protection.
· How to get in touch with agencies like HMRC or DWP using the Governments ‘Tell us Once’ service.
· Useful information about Zurich Support Services and other charitable organisations who can provide emotional support when dealing with grief.
· Where to find guidance around probate, postal redirection, and things like pension tracing or death in service benefits.
· Signposting to organisations who can help when dealing with debts or support for funeral costs.
· A jargon buster of technical terms and what they mean.
ICYMI: Smartr365 – Updated Q&A and Video
We have updated our Q&A document, which can be found HERE. We will continue to update this further as we get nearer launch.
Please find the link for our showcase video about Smartr365 HERE.
Remember, we will be launching Smartr365 from June onwards, so not long to wait to get your hands on this brilliant Business Management tool!
