When it comes to mortgages, the personal touch really does matter!
Back in 2006, Janet and Denis Gale were advised to invest in a buy-to-let apartment and were in need of a suitable mortgage.
“Our financial adviser was also investing in these apartments and he chose Beverley Building Society as his mortgage provider, so that in itself was an obvious recommendation from someone who really knows the finance market,” said Janet. “But I also remember reading an article in a local magazine or paper about the Society and how it’s an independent, traditional people’s building society, and that just really made me want to go there.”
Choosing the right lender
Fast-forward to 2018 and the couple, who live in Cottingham, made a major decision to transfer the mortgage on their business premises to their home. Denis started up his successful fabrication business more than 35 years ago, culminating in having his own factory built on the Sutton Fields industrial estate. Despite all their business affairs being managed via a high street bank, Janet knew exactly who she wanted to handle this particular deal.
She said: “I’d always liked the way the Society had treated us, at one point we went in and said we’d like to up our payments on the buy-to-let mortgage and they were fabulous. So I said to Denis ‘let’s use them for this as they are so good’.
“Leaving the bank was a hard choice for us to make but we wanted to be sure we would be listened to like financial institutions used to do in the old days, we wanted a personal touch. So we rang the Society and arranged to go in to see them, and they advised us on everything we needed to do.”
A straightforward process
Janet had a slight concern that, as a couple in their 60s, age might be a hindrance to the remortgage, but she needn’t have worried. “It ended up being really easy,” she added. “We had to find a lot of paperwork but they made it as simple as possible for us and we were pleased with the way it went. We dealt with one person throughout the whole process — Jess — and she was fabulous.”
The process took about eight weeks, and the Society kept in regular contact with the Gales throughout. Janet said: “If we had any worries or questions we could ring or just pop into the branch and talk to them. We did this a few times and they were always able to answer our queries.”
Small and friendly
This accessibility and friendly support really matters to the Gales. “Other mortgage providers tell you to go online and apply, but that’s not good enough for us. We knew we’d get a proper service at Beverley Building Society,” Janet added. “It reminds me of how things used to be when Denis first started the business. Back then his bank manager used to be on first name terms with him and would visit the business in person.”
The couple are now planning to pop into the branch to have a chat about savings products, as one option would be for them to use a linked savings account to offset their mortgage interest.
In conclusion, Janet said: “I really hope the Society stays small and personal. I’d recommend them to anyone, they really are super and I can see us sticking with them for the rest of our lives.”
Graham Carter, the Society’s Head of Lending, said: “We often find that once clients join us they do tend to stay with us for the long-term. It’s reassuring to hear Janet explain how much our support and availability matters to her as that’s something we really value too, and in turn we can assure her our approach won’t be changing anytime soon!”