Specialist lender LiveMore has announced the appointment of Charles Roe as industry adviser. In this role, Roe will support LiveMore’s position as a consumer champion that is continually pioneering solutions for the evolving needs of borrowers, as well as helping to deepen the company’s relationships with its key commercial partners.
Roe joins LiveMore with a wealth of experience in financial regulation, mortgage lending and public policy. Most recently he served as director of mortgages at UK Finance, where he led the organisation’s mortgage policy and regulatory agenda throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior roles include head of department for mortgages and mutuals at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and senior leadership positions with Nottingham Building Society, Grant Thornton UK and within the economic crime department of the City of London Police.
“The work LiveMore is doing to make mortgages more flexible and accessible for borrowers in mid and later life is desperately needed,” commented Roe. “In this role, I want to help the company build on what is already a diverse and innovative product portfolio, so it can continue to deliver solutions that truly live up to the needs of consumers.
“Just creating these products isn’t enough, however. Mortgage advisers need to be aware of the options and prepared to deliver more holistic wealth and retirement planning advice to their clients. Helping brokers to do that - whether that’s through pioneering technology and tools like the LiveMore Mortgage Matcher®, or education around how housing wealth should be considered as part of a client’s long-term financial plan – will also be a key consideration of my new role.”
Leon Diamond, CEO at LiveMore commented: “As we strive to push the boundaries of the later life mortgage category and continuously champion the underserved borrower, Charles’ expertise and understanding of relevant policy put him in an ideal position to help us ensure that our way of thinking truly translates into our products and proposition.
“Our focus at LiveMore has always been how can we put customers first and help those who are currently being failed by traditional high-street lenders and their inflexible affordability criteria. More and more people are finding themselves unable to fit the mould as they reach midlife, and that’s a concept that Charles is very familiar with from his time with the FCA. He knows what the industry can and should be doing to help these individuals, and we’re delighted to have him on board to help us do just that.”
