The Mortgage Conversation Has Changed - Networks Need To Next

21 May 2026

For years, the mortgage conversation centred around one question:

“Can I remortgage?”

But in 2026, that is no longer the right question.

Today, advisers should instead be asking:

“What is the most suitable solution for this customer?”

That shift matters because suitability is no longer automatically linked to a remortgage.

Millions of borrowers remain sat on historically low fixed rates that simply do not make sense to disturb, while others face affordability pressures, early repayment charges and increasingly complex financial circumstances.

In many of these cases, a second charge mortgage is no longer the alternative option, it is often the most suitable one.

The secured loan market has evolved dramatically over the last five years. Technology has improved, lender criteria has widened, service standards have risen and customer outcomes are stronger than ever.

The opportunity now is ensuring the wider industry evolves alongside it.

Too many networks still fail to give secured lending the attention it deserves. Some still do not have meaningful second charge representation on their panels at all, while others continue operating with panel structures that have not been properly reviewed in years.

And that matters.

Because a secured loan panel reviewed five years ago, often built around historic relationships and compliance comfort rather than modern market performance is unlikely to fully reflect the best outcomes for advisers or customers in today’s market.

The reality is that secured lending has become an essential advice tool for brokers navigating today’s market conditions. Advisers are increasingly seeing scenarios where retaining a client’s existing first charge rate while raising additional capital through a second charge creates a significantly better outcome than a full remortgage.

That is not niche advice anymore.

That is mainstream suitability.

And Consumer Duty only increases the importance of getting this right. It is difficult to see how any network can claim to be fully aligned with Consumer Duty when its secured loan panel was last reviewed years before the regulation even existed.

What is particularly encouraging is that the wider evidence supporting secured lending has never been stronger.

The recent FCA review into the sector, despite some negative headlines, actually painted a far more positive picture of the market than many acknowledged. In reality, the FCA identified a sector that has matured significantly, strengthened governance and improved customer outcomes.

Yes, there were recommendations and areas for continued improvement, but much of the coverage focused on isolated observations rather than the bigger picture, that secured lending is now a mature and increasingly important part of the modern lending landscape.

That should be viewed as a positive opportunity for the industry.

Because brokers themselves have already moved on.

Across the market, more intermediaries are increasingly engaging directly with specialist master brokers and distributors who offer deeper expertise, stronger lender access and dedicated secured loan support to help advisers achieve better customer outcomes.

And honestly, it is not difficult to understand why.

Modern brokers are under enormous pressure. Regulatory scrutiny, affordability complexity and rising customer expectations all demand specialist expertise and stronger support structures.

Advisers today need partners who understand lender nuances, packaging complexities and suitability assessments in detail. They need responsive support and access to modern secured loan solutions that genuinely reflect today’s market.

If networks are unable to provide that environment internally, advisers will naturally look elsewhere for support.

That should not be viewed negatively.

Instead, it highlights the growing opportunity for networks, specialist distributors and lenders to work more closely together to ensure advisers have access to the strongest possible secured loan support and customer outcomes.

As Matt Tristram, co-founder of Loans Warehouse, puts it:

“For years, many of us within the secured loan sector have worked tirelessly to push for greater recognition, better understanding and a stronger position within mainstream mortgage advice.

The good news is that the market has moved forward significantly. Adviser awareness is improving, customer demand is growing and the lender proposition today is stronger than it has ever been.

But there is still more we can achieve together.

Too many networks continue to push secured lending down the priority list. We repeatedly hear that reviews are coming, conversations are ongoing or it’s something they’ll get to eventually, but in many cases progress simply moves too slowly.

The secured loan market has evolved incredibly quickly over recent years, and some network propositions understandably haven’t evolved at the same pace yet.

The opportunity now is for networks, lenders and specialist distributors to collaborate far more closely, continue educating the market and ensure advisers have access to modern secured loan solutions that genuinely deliver the best outcomes for customers.

This is no longer about promoting secured loans as an alternative product. It is about recognising them as an important part of modern suitability-led advice.”

The mortgage market has changed.

The advice process has changed.

Customer needs have changed.

Secured loans are no longer sitting on the edge of the mortgage conversation.

They are now firmly at the centre of it.

And the networks that fully embrace that evolution, alongside lenders, distributors and advisers will be the ones best placed to support the next generation of modern mortgage advice.