Alan Cleary, the renowned mortgages expert who has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, has been appointed as Chair of Chetwood Financial’s Mortgage Advisory Board.
Cleary is one of the most prominent professionals in the intermediary mortgage market. He served as Head of Sales at BM Solutions and then as Director of Halifax Intermediaries, before taking on the Managing Director position at Exact Mortgage Experts. However, he is best known for his role at Charter Court Financial Services, which he co-founded in 2008, and for being a key figure in delivering Precise Mortgages’ proposition.
Charter Court Financial Services combined with OneSavings Bank in 2019. Following the merger, Cleary became the leader of the group's mortgage brands – Precise Mortgages, Kent Reliance for Intermediaries, and InterBay Commercial – until his retirement in 2021.
He is now coming out of retirement to chair Chetwood Financial’s Mortgage Advisory Board.
Founded in 2016, Wrexham-based Chetwood Financial is a digital bank. As well as its existing consumer savings products, Chetwood Financial is soon to launch ModaMortgages, a new specialist buy-to-let (BTL) lender, and recently acquired BTL mortgage provider CHL Mortgages for Intermediaries (CMI). The bank is well funded and has developed an experienced team of mortgage experts, providing the ideal foundations for its two BTL lending propositions. The bank currently has more than £3bn in retail savings and funds around £100m per month to non-bank lenders.
In his new role, Cleary will provide guidance on the commercial strategy for both ModaMortgages and CMI as Chetwood Financial builds its presence and establishes itself as a leading name in the specialist lending market. He will advise the company on how to grow each part of the business, applying his vast experience of the mortgage market to ensure both propositions resonate with brokers.
Cleary said: “I wasn’t intending to come out of retirement, but this looks like a special opportunity. I’m excited by the vision that the bank has for disrupting the market with ModaMortgages and CMI. Running multiple lenders under one roof is a challenge I’m very familiar with, and I can’t wait to get involved and offer my experience as we look to scale both propositions in the intermediary mortgage market.”
Chetwood Financial’s founder and CEO, Andy Mielczarek, added: “Alan Cleary is one of the biggest names in the specialist lending sector. His experience in leading and scaling mortgage lenders is second to none and we’re delighted to have him chairing our Mortgage Advisory Board – there’s absolutely no doubt that his strategic guidance will prove invaluable as we look to break new ground with ModaMortgages and CMI.”
