Dudley BS begins phased roll-out of new intermediary portal 

Dudley Building Society's new intermediary portal is now live with a select group of brokers, marking the first phase of its roll-out as part of plans to strengthen its intermediary proposition.

This launch coincides with the implementation of the Society’s new mortgage origination platform, both of which have been delivered by Ohpen, which provide a cloud-based alternative to legacy systems for banks, mortgage lenders and building societies.

The Society has focused on improving the application journey, introducing changes to simplify case placement, improve progress tracking, and speed up decision-making.

The new platform is designed to reduce packaging requirements, speed up submissions and provide clearer case-tracking for intermediaries.

It will also cut down on the back-and-forth typically involved in document handling, helping to streamline the process from decision in principle through to full application.

Internally, several manual processes have been removed or digitised, improving operational efficiency and allowing underwriters to focus more directly on decision-making rather than administration.

As a result, the Society is set to improve service level agreements and reduce the time from application-to-offer.

Dudley said the changes will also increase its capacity to handle more cases and support future growth, including entry into new markets and the launch of new products over the coming months.

The Society added that further enhancements are already planned, including future integration with broker systems and sourcing platforms as part of later phases of development.

Paul Purewal, head of intermediary relations at Dudley Building Society, said: “We have listened carefully to broker feedback, and this launch is about making us easier to do business with in a practical sense.

“The new platform improves speed and simplicity across the journey. Submissions are quicker, packaging requirements are reduced, and brokers have better visibility of their cases from start-to-finish, with less need for manual follow-ups.

“We have also streamlined a number of internal processes. Tasks that previously took around 45 minutes can now be completed in a matter of minutes, which supports faster decision-making and helps us improve our service levels and overall turnaround times.

“Importantly, while we are introducing more automation and beginning to bring AI into parts of the process, we are still committed to human underwriting. Brokers can expect the same common-sense approach, backed by better systems and quicker outcomes.

“We will be rolling the new system out to brokers in a phased manner in the weeks ahead, with invitations to use the new platform being sent by the Dudley team. This launch marks the start of our wider digitisation journey for brokers and their customers. It allows us to be more dynamic in how we develop and launch products, respond more quickly to market changes, and continue improving the experience we offer to intermediaries.”