ING Direct launches today with Openwork

Openwork, one of the UK’s largest mortgage intermediaries, announced at its year-start conference today in Birmingham that ING Direct, the award-winning mainstream mortgage provider, is to join its lender panel.
The move will give Openwork’s advisers access to ING Direct’s competitive range of fixed and variable mortgages, including a number of fee-free products. Clients of Openwork advisers will also benefit from ING Direct’s free valuation and free legal service on all remortgage products.
Having received numerous accolades for its customer service, ING Direct has quickly built a strong brand presence in the UK. Openwork advisers will be able to capitalise on this service and simple approach, which in some cases can result in an agreement in principle in as little as 15 minutes.
Paul Shearman, Mortgage & Protection Proposition Director at Openwork, says: “ING Direct is the world’s leading direct savings bank and it has achieved great success in the UK prime mortgage market since its entry in 2006.
“With such success in the direct channel ING Direct has been very selective about whom it partners with in the intermediary space, so we are extremely pleased it has decided to join our lender panel, which includes the very best of the UK’s mainstream and specialist providers.”
Julian Hartley, Mortgage Director at ING Direct, comments: “We recognise that the number of intermediary products has reduced in recent years and the channel remains an important one for consumers who seek advice. Openwork has a highly successful proposition in the intermediary market delivering high quality scale production and we feel that the business is perfectly suited to our product offering.  We look forward to working with Openwork’s appointed representatives to build a successful partnership over the years ahead.”