Introducing Charlotte Raw, our Head of Mortgage Lending
Charlotte Raw is the new Head of Mortgage Lending at Newcastle Building Society. She joined the Society six weeks ago, having enjoyed a career that started just after her A-Levels and has included 7 years apiece at Skipton and Barclays, and an initial period at Leeds Building Society, where her husband currently works. As a child, Charlotte lived in Germany and Ireland following her father's postings in military service. She settled in North Yorkshire at the age of 12 and now lives there with her husband and two children.
Holidays, particularly the Greek Islands, are a big love of Charlotte's and she is currently looking forward to an imminent trip to Dubai. She is a passionate Liverpool FC supporter, though she admits she doesn't get to go to games as often as she used to. Her husband, an equally passionate Manchester United fan, has meant that their children are growing up to support neither club by mutual agreement. So far, she says, so good. Clearly Charlotte has a talent for conflict resolution.
Why did you choose Newcastle Building Society?
Having worked in the banking and mutual sector, I was quite clear that my next move would be to another mutual. The culture of Building Societies is something I hold very dear. The sense of purpose and supporting a regional community is very inspirational. At Newcastle Building Society we have customers, not applications, and that approach is very important to me. Lending is so much more than a process of numbers. When I saw the job profile for this role, I actually could not believe my luck. It was as if it had been written for me! I think that culture produces a better structure too. Newcastle Building Society offers a huge opportunity to work with colleagues so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. My instincts so far have proved me right. I believe I have joined at a brilliant time. The Society is going from strength to strength, and I have a fantastic team to support me.
What does your role involve?
I look after the mortgage origination process from Decision in Principle (DiP) up to release of funds at completion. This includes the DiP team, application processing and underwriting. At the moment, we have an overall team of 76 people and I believe it's really important in teams of any size to trust in the skills, talents, and experience of the people in them to deliver what the Society needs. I have already met some really remarkable and wonderful people and look forward to meeting many more over the coming weeks and months.
How do your broker relationships inform what your team produces?
In my previous roles I have always made it my business to get out and meet brokers because it's often the way you get the real insight which guide what you deliver for them and their borrowers. Obviously, we are really lucky to have a great team of BDMs too with whom we work with, so the insight is constantly available. This is why the structure of the organisation is so important to me because we can work together quickly to make changes to products, entire propositions, or communicate policy and criteria changes that make a real difference to our brokers and borrowers.
What are the challenges and opportunities you face over the next 12 months?
I think there is an opportunity to do more in terms of helping the Society achieve its lending goals, and our new mortgage origination system will be an integral part of delivering that. It is a game changer for the Society and will reinvent what it is possible to do in terms of processing and delivering lending volumes. We will also have to do more as we continue to grow, whether that be organically or through mergers with other Societies such as the Manchester. Delivering growth while retaining that personal touch is the key challenge for us, but one I am sure we can achieve.
For more information about how we can help you do business:
Talk to your dedicated Business Development Manager or contact your Intermediary Support Team at Intermediary.lending@newcastle.co.uk or 0345 602 2338. Our lines are open 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.