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Malcolm McCaig named as Kent Reliance chairman
Malcolm McCaig (pictured) has been appointed chairman of Kent Reliance Building Society.
McCaig joined the board of the mutual last March. In addition to his role at Kent Reliance McCaig holds a portfolio of non-executive directorships including Unum, Crest Nicholson, Caley, Renaissance Capital and Barbon Insurance Group. He is also an external member of the Audit Committee at the House of Lords.
McCaig says: “We recognise that the trading environment and market conditions are difficult but this society has the courage to be innovative. We are prepared to take any steps necessary to build a secure future.”
He replaces Malcolm Mackenzie who stepped down at Kent Reliance’s annual general meeting in Rochester recently to take on the role of senior independent director at the mutual.
Hector Sants to step down from his post at the FSA this summer
Hector Sants, chief executive officer of the Financial Services Authority is to leave the organisation in the summer after three years in the role.
The board of the FSA says it will announce the process for deciding Sants’ successor in due course.
Speaking about his time at the regulator Sants says: “My three years have encompassed the most extraordinary circumstances for a financial regulator and I am very proud of the manner in which the FSA rose to the challenge of dealing with unprecedented turbulence across global financial markets.
“Moreover, I believe the FSA candidly examined the failings in financial regulation that contributed to the onset of the crisis, learnt the lessons and went on to reform itself into a much stronger and better equipped organisation.”
He adds: “The success of any regulatory structure depends on ensuring supervision is carried out by high quality supervisors with sufficient resources and specialist support.”
Two former HBOS directors resign from Lloyds group on same day
Former HBOS directors Dan Watkins (pictured) and Jo Dawson have both resigned from Lloyds Banking Group.
Watkins quit as managing director of mortgages, with Mike Kula, previously head of retail operations at the firm, taking over his position on an interim basis.
Watkins was previously chief executive of retail products at HBOS and had been with the group since joining BM Solutions in 1993.
On the same day Dawson, who replaced infamous whistle-blower Paul Moore as group risk director at HBOS, also resigned from her post as director of the wealth and international division of Lloyds group.
Meanwhile, Ed Smith has joined Lloyds group from the Royal Bank of Scotland in the newly-created role of managing director of operations
Greg Woodhams takes the mortgage services hot seat at Sequence
Greg Woodhams has been named as Sequence’s national mortgage services sales director, responsible for developing services across the firm’s estate agency network.
Woodhams, who spent 13 years with Countrywide’s mortgage services division and was responsible for moving a number of its underperforming subsidiaries forward, says he is delighted to be taking on the job at Sequence.
He says: “Our branches, which include brand names such as Barnard Marcus and William H Brown, have some excellent mortgage consultants and I’m excited at the prospect of strengthening and building on what is already a great service for customers.
“We have some superb financial incentives but too often these are not taken up. I intend to ensure customers are aware of the time and money-saving potential of speaking to our mortgage advisers.”
Crystal Mortgages makes two prominent appointments
Crystal Mortgages has made two appointments. Toby Breeden (pictured) joins the company as business development manager, responsible for broadening the firm’s client base and promoting its business offering to brokers.
Meanwhile, Jackie Luscott has been appointed as senior mortgage processor and will head up the newly established development funding team. From 2004 to 2007 she held the position of joint office manager at surveyor Thomas Lloyd.Roger Dewsbery, senior underwriter at Crystal, says: “Last year we launched a near-prime commercial mortgage, sourced a 100% LTV medical product and reintroduced development bridging finance to name but three initiatives.
“Given how many major high street banks have been, and still are, reticent to lend we have been in the wonderful position whereby we can help where many other financial institutions have hindered. This has resulted in terrific application and completion figures throughout the business.”
He adds: “We have three more big developments in the pipeline including a brand new service offering and Breeden, Luscott and the rest of the team will be essential in bringing these to fruition and introducing them to the market.”
The latest move follows the appointment last August of David Parke as the first head of operations at Crystal Commercial Funding, the company’s near-prime commercial mortgages division.
Simon Davies takes on technical director role at Valunation
Valunation has appointed Simon Davies (pictured) to the new position of technical director. He has been with the company in 2005.
Alison Beech, business relationship director at Spicerhaart and Valunation says: “We are thrilled that Davies has accepted this position and wish him every success in a new and challenging role. His time spent in private practice has equipped him well for the task in hand
“Davies is the ideal person to address the challenges posed by the current business environment and will focus on quality and risk management through a combination of innovation and a back-to-basics approach.”
Davies says: “I look forward to being a part of a team intent on projecting Valunation to the top of the residential valuation profession in terms of the key drivers of its proposition - quality, risk management and service delivery.”
