Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Hope Capital Launches Pre-Application Team After Sales Restructure

Hope Capital Property Finance has launched a new pre-application team following a restructure of its sales department earlier this year. The new team is designed to strengthen the lender’s application process and provide improved support for brokers and borrowers.

The pre-application team is led by James McDonough, who has rejoined Hope Capital Property Finance and brings over 12 years of experience in regulated and unregulated lending, with a background in underwriting operations. He is supported by Michael Trafford, Joe Jacques, and Dyl Roscoe. Trafford has moved into the team from his previous role as sales specialist, while Jacques and Roscoe are new appointments with experience in financial services. Jacques previously worked at Santander in fraud detection and financial crime prevention, and Roscoe joins from Metro Bank, where she was a lending specialist.

The team’s responsibilities include preparing and packaging applications before they are transferred to the underwriting team. Hope Capital Property Finance stated that this dedicated function is intended to create a more consistent and efficient process, enabling faster outcomes for broker partners and borrowers.

The pre-application team will acknowledge enquiries within one business hour and provide updates at key milestones throughout the application process. Initial due diligence will be completed within a five-hour service level agreement, and the team will handle enquiries through to application across all deal types. Additional tasks include arranging valuation and legal quotes before underwriting for time-sensitive cases, packaging and submitting completed applications within 24 business hours of receiving all required documentation, and supporting both sales and underwriting teams during the handover process.

Hope Capital Property Finance has also introduced a dedicated broker support line to manage post-submission queries.

For UK letting agents and inventory clerks, these changes may lead to more streamlined and timely processing of property finance applications, potentially supporting faster transactions and improved communication with lenders.