Demand for mortgage advisors hits record level

August 28, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill

Mortgage Advisors

New data has shown that the amount of business conducted by mortgage advisors during the second quarter hit a record level.

Over the course of the quarter, the number of applications submitted on average per advisor was 105. This marks a notable increase on the average of 96 during the first quarter of this year. It is also the highest number per mortgage advisor since the opening quarter of 2010. These figures are from the mortgage market tracker published by the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA).

The current year got off to a hectic start for the mortgage market. A combination of unstable swap rates and the economic turbulence caused by the war in Iran led a lot of borrowers to move quickly. What is surprising, however, is that demand rose further during the second quarter.

Gross secured mortgage lending went up by £9 billion, producing a total of £77 billion. Meanwhile Decisions in Principle rose from 26 to 29, and completions increased to 40% from 37% in the first quarter.

Strangely, all those positive indicators are not reflected in the mood of many advisors. The tracker shows a 13-point drop in confidence levels when it comes to the mortgage sector.

Kate Davies from Imla told Mortgage Strategy:

“The most striking feature of these figures is the contrast between sentiment and activity. Intermediaries’ confidence has fallen but they are busier than ever, and conversion rates are improving.”

She added that confidence should rise if activity levels stay high. Simultaneously, demand for CeMAP training courses is likely to remain high too.