I feel that I should let everyone know how the markets are working at the moment and the effect it is having on mortgage brokers and your access to independent advice.

Advice not only helps you find the best deal but also the most suitable. Our efforts ensure that your mortgage is affordable, this is the most important factor, as well as being suitable. You may want flexibility you may want payment holidays, interest only options as well as many more. You would want to see all mortgages available today and be involved in deciding what is best for you. Well in todays market the banks and your so called consumer regulator have deemed it fit for banks to absolve themselves from blame should your mortgage product turn out to be unsuitable. This has been achieved by changing a non-advised sale to execution only....which means that if it goes wrong it's your fault and not the banks. This seems to suggest that banks were themselves to blame for the appalling state of the market in the first place. If you use a broker, who to be honest does not have access to lender direct rates, you may pay a litlle more per month but you will have the assurity that all your circumstances have been considered and you will have recourse if the broker has mis-advised. In the climate we have now with repossessions and poor performance of flexible mortgages, you have recourse if the product was advised, execution only avoids the responsibility and in itself will encourage the bank to make a "sale" along with the insurance products that you will inevitably be pushed to take. We as brokers are petitioning to present a level playing field in respect of deals being offered, you will still have the choice of seeing a broker or walking into each bank to seek advice but I believe that consumers would prefer the choice through independent advice.

The message is to see a broker and avoid the banks....this way they will be forced to offer deals to the consumer through brokers.

It is simple are you financially aware enough to decide what is best for you? Do you require advice and protection? Are you appy with letting a sales clerk decide on your biggest financial venture???

One last thing, I and many brokers have provided much advice on this forum, but the past months have taken their toll. Many brokers have been forced out of the field and many of us have to work so hard to achieve business levels we need to simply survive. The forum has suffered because of this, but there is an opportunity to turn this around....See a broker to ensure the industry does not become unprotected and left in the hands of the banks that were to blame in the first instance.

Thank you for your time.