Smartr365 December Release Every month, Smartr365 release improvements and other changes to the system. Here is a summary:
Search by Policy Reference
Number on the Cases Page
Wehaveintroducedanew enhancementthatallowsadvisers tosearchforProtectioncases usingthepolicyreferencenumber directlyfromtheCasespage.
Adviserscannowenterapolicy referencenumberintothesearch barandimmediatelyseethe relevantcaseintheresults.
Email Replies Now Logged in Adviser Portal History
Wehavereleasedafixtoensure thatclientemailrepliesare correctlycapturedanddisplayedin theAdviserPortal.
Emailrepliesfromclientswillnow appearautomaticallyintheHistory tab,ensuringadvisersalwayshave acompleteanduptodateviewof theirclientinteractions.
Duplicate Cases Removed from the Cases Page
Previously,whenadviserssearched foraclientorcase,duplicateentries weresometimesdisplayedeven thoughonlyonevalidcaseexisted.
Wehavereleasedanimprovement toensureasinglecorrectentryfor eachcaseisreturned,withno duplicates.
Date Sorting Fix in the Document Store
Whenadvisersattemptedtosort documentsintheDocument Store,thelistdidnotsort correctly.
Wehavereleasedafixtocorrect thebehaviourofthesorting controlsotheysortinascending ordescendingorder.
Client Verification Documents Now Visible in Adviser Portal Wehavereleasedafixtoensure thatverificationdocuments uploadedbyclientsintheclient portalarenowdisplayedcorrectly intheadviserportal.
Previously,whenaclientuploaded theirverificationdocuments throughHomebuyer,thesefiles werenotappearingintheadviser portal. Anyverificationdocumentsa clientuploadsintheclientportal willnowappearintheDocument Storefortheircaseintheadviser portal.
Co-op Legal Services - Case Studies Ourtrustedpartnerforlegalreferrals,CoopLegalServices,consistentlyreceive excellentfeedbackfromOpenworkreferralcustomers.InQ3…
100%ofthecustomersgavethem5starsorabovefortheinformationand guidanceprovided 100%ofthecustomersratedthem4starsoraboveonhowlikelytheyare torecommendthemtoafamilymemberorfriend.
To help illustrate where Coop Legal can help your clients and the excellent service they provide and further to our earlier articles, here is the latest Case study:
Tis the Season of Reset - Spotting the Signs You’re Running on Empty Followingonfromlastweek’s“Tis theSeasonofReset”,thisweek we’refocusingonsomethingalot ofusquietlyexperienceatthis timeofyear,thesubtlesignsthat yourbatteryisn’tquiteasfullas youthink.
Decemberhasawayofshifting tempo.
Thedaysfeelshorter,the deadlinesfeelcloser,andthe mentalloadcancreepupwithout muchwarning.Evenwhen everythingis“fine”,youcanstill feelthatslightdipinsharpness, thatextralayeroftired,orthat senseofrunningonmomentum ratherthanenergy.
Sothisweek,we’returningthe spotlightontotheearlysignals yourmindandbodysendyou whenit’stimetopause…even briefly.
Here are some of the signs to keep an eye on:
2.Forgetting simple things
Walkingupstairsandforgettingwhyyou went.
Openingacupboardandstaringat…the cupboard.
(It’snotage…it’soverload.)
3.Irritation comes quicker than usual
Thatemailthatnormallywouldn’tbother yousuddenlyfeelslikeitneedsadeep sighandthreeminutesofinternal monologue.
4.Poor sleep, even when you’re tired Body:“Iamexhausted.” Brainat3am:“Let’sdiscusseverything you’veeversaidinyourentirelife.”
5.Feeling flat, not broken
You’renotnecessarilyoverwhelmedor burntout…just…flatterthanusual. Lessspark.Lessjoy.Andmaybealittle lesscapacity.
6.Struggling to switch off
You’reansweringmessageswhileeating, thinkingabouttomorrowwhileintoday, andgenerallyoperatingonhalf-restand half-autopilot.
1.The “I’ll just push through” default Youkeeptellingyourselfyou’llrestonce thisonelastjobisdone. Exceptthere’salways“onelastjob”.
Whenyouworkforyourself,it’sincrediblyeasytoslipinto“permanent productivitymode”.
Butrunningonemptydoesn’tjustdrainyourenergy,itaffectsyourfocus, yourdecision-making,yourconfidence,andthewayyoushowupforclients andthepeoplearoundyou.
Spottingthesignsearlygivesyouthepowertomakesmallresetsbeforeyou hitthatpointwhereeverythingfeelsharderthanitshould.
This week’s reminder
Yourbodywhisperslongbeforeitshouts.
Thisweekisaboutlisteningforthewhispers.
Nextweek,we’lllookatsmall,realisticresetsyoucanbuildintobusydays… nothingfancy,nothingtime-consuming,justsimplethingsthatgenuinely help.
TistheSeasonofResetcontinues…
Mortgage News RelyhasofficiallylaunchedtothewholeofthemarketandisthenewBTLbrand forOneSavingsbank.
AllthethingsyoulovedaboutKentRelianceandPreciseBTLlending,now underonelender;Rely.
FAQ:
Will I be registered automatically?
Inshort,no.Asanewlenderyouwillneedtoregisteryourself.Thelinktodo thisisfoundbelow
Will I be contacted once I register?
Yes.YouwillreceiveawelcomecallfromtheirBDMshortlyafterregistration
Who is our BDM for Rely?
OurBDMisJackieWebbwhoisofficebasedancanbecontacton01634 821394orviaemailjacqueline.webb@osb.co.uk
KentReliancewillsoonnolongerbetakingonnewbusinessandwillthereforeonlydealwith existingclients AllbusinesswithinOSBgroupwillbethereforedividedupfromnextyearas follows;
HSBC increase Cashback to FTB’s WitheffectfromWednesday3rd December,tosupportFirstTime Buyers,HSBChaveincreasedthe cashbackamountsuptoamaximumof £2,000tohelpwiththecostofbuyinga home.
Whenpurchasingapropertywithan energyratingofAorBcashback availableisbetween£1000and£2000.
Standardcashbacknowrangesfrom £500to£1500
ThischangecontinuesHSBC’s commitmenttosupportingFirstTime Buyersachievetheirhomeownership aspirations.
Please click here to view the latest products that are impacted by this change
Accord Mortg Minimum Income Removed AccordMortgageshasremovedits minimumincomerequirementfor first-timebuyerstoaccess mortgagesupto5.5timestheir income,providedtheymeetall otherlendingandaffordability criteria.
Thechangeappliesacrossthe entireproductrange,butexcludes the£5kdepositmortgage.
JBSP LTV change Forjointapplications,atleastone applicantmustbeafirst-time buyer,haveamaximumloan-tovalue(LTV)of95%,availablefor new-buildproperties,including flatsandincludesproductsinthe BoostLTIrange.
Accordhasalsosimplifiedthe qualifyingcriteriaforitsjoint borrower,soleproprietor(JBSP) offeringandwillnowbeavailableup to95%LTV. Thelimitwhichmeantonly25%of themortgagetermcouldruninto theassistingfamilymember’s retirement,hasalsobeenremoved.
PleasevisitAccord’sfulllending criteriaHERE
Protection & GI News EXCLUSIVE: L&G Informative Webinars IncollaborationwithL&G,aseriesofExclusiveWebinarshavebeenarrangedfor youtoexpandyourknowledgeandskills.Wehighlyrecommendyouattend! Simplyclickontherelevantlinkandcompleteashortregistration.Anemail confirmationinvitewillthenfollow.
A total of 4 webinar topics are available, with choices of times and will cover:
BeyondtheMortgage–howtoelevateyour protectionadvice(2parts)
CriticalIllnessforLife–practicalskillsand objectiontechniques
IncomeProtection–protectthelifestyle, learnvaluabletipsandtechniquesincluding FamilyIncomeBenefit
Part 1: Beyond the mortgage –
Elevating
When?
Part 2: Beyond the mortgage –
Elevating your protection advice
When?
Monday15 December10amor 2pm
th What?
Enhancingyourprocess.This2-part workshopisdesignedtohelp mortgageadviserselevatetheir protectionadvicebyenhancingtheir processandsharpeningtheirskills.
InPart1,you’llexplorehowtobuild protectionintoyourmortgage process,demonstrateyourvalueas theirtrustedadviser,andenhance yourconversationstodrivebetter clientoutcomes. Packedwith practicalideasandproven techniques,thissessionwillshow youhowtomakeyourprocessmore efficient,moreimpactfulandmore profitable
Link to regis
10am: 2pm:
Tuesday16thDecember10amor2pm
What?
You’lldiscoverhowtounlockyour clients’aspirations,confidentlyexpand thediscussionbeyondthemortgage, andgainpracticalskillstoanticipateand overcomeobjections. Link
Critical illness - For life, interrupted
Thissessionexploresthetrue financialimpactofacriticalillness, revealinghowcoverisusedinreallife toprotectclientswhentheyneedit themost.
You’lllearnhowtouncoveryour clients’goalsthroughbetter conversationsandtranslatethese intotailoredsolutionsthatsupport theirlong-termplansandfinancial security.
When?
Wednesday17 December10amor 2pm th
Leading with Income - Protecting the Lifestyle Thissessionexplorestheimpactand needofprotectingyourclient’sincome. Understandingthatincome replacementsolutionscanbean effectivesolutiontomaintainingyour lifestyle.
We’lllookatevolvingourmindsetto leadingwithincomeasthedrivingforce behindprotectionconversations. LookingathowbothIncomeProtection andFamilyIncomeProtectionwork togethertocreatebetterclient outcomes.
When? Avivawanttoacknowledgethat theyarestillexperiencing significantunderwritingdelays, withturnaroundtimesfor assessingGPR’scurrentlyat39 daysforover90%ofcasesbut someoutsideofthisatupto46 days.Avivasincerelyapologisefor theinconveniencethismaycause andwanttoreassureyouthatthey aredoingeverythingtheycanto improvethesituation.
Anumberofinitiativesandarobust actionplanarealreadyinplaceto addressthebacklog.Despitethese challenges,straight-through processingremainsstrongatover 83%whichhassinceimproved duringNovember,andAvivais committedtomaintainingthislevel ofefficiencywhereverpossible.
Oneofthekeyactionsisnowgoinglive, whichisanAI-poweredsummarisation toolaimedatspeedingupthe underwritingprocessforindividuallife insuranceapplications.Thetooluses generativeAItoanalyseand summariseGPmedicalreportsandwill berolled-outtounderwritingteams from28November.Ithasundergone 18monthsoftestingandcontrolsand hasalreadyprocessed1,000casesin anactivetestphase.
Avivawouldliketothankyouforyour continuedpatienceandunderstanding.
Paymentshield | Pudding Powered Christmas Game 2025!
ThePaymentshieldannualChristmas gameisback!
Paymentshieldarehopingtospread holidaycheerandcelebratebeingthe energybehindyourGIbusinesswith 2025’sgame‘PuddingPower’.
Ifyou’reupforthechallenge, Paymentshieldaregivingawayan incredibleprizeeveryweekdayfrom Monday1December,whenthegame goeslive,untilTuesday16 December.
Thisyear,Santa’sreindeershaverun amok,sohe’striallingabackupplan:a flyingbackpackpoweredby Christmaspuddings.Thesecret ingredient...brandyandafestive flame!It’snotgoingtobeallsmooth flying,besuretododgetherogue reindeersandmischievouselves whilstboostingyourbackpackwith puddingpower.Canyoukeepthe holidaycheeraliveinthisfast-paced, puddingfuelledadventure?
Tobeenteredintothedailyprize draw,youmusthelpSantadeliver25 ormorepresentstobeenteredinto thedailyprizedrawalongwithyour nameandemailaddress. Youcanplayasmanytimesasyou like,becausespreadingChristmas cheerisalwaysfun,butyougetone entrytotheprizedrawperday.
Toseethesleighloadoffantastic DAILYprizesandplaythegamehead overto paymentshieldpuddingpower.com. Letthefestivepuddingpowerfun begin!
To be eligible to enter the daily prize draw you must successfully between 00:01 and 23:59 (GMT) on the days the game is running and be a registered and active Paymentshield account. Participant entry is not dependent on business activity.
Full terms and conditions are available here and on the game site.
Averagetwo-yearfixedmortgagesat90%–95%LTVhittheirlowestlevels sincebeforethemini-Budget,withtwo-yearfixesfallingtoaround5.24%(90 %LTV)and5.41%(95%LTV).Five-yearfixesatthoseLTVsalsoeased(to≈ 5.16%).
AcrosstheUKmarket,activityremainsreasonablyrobust:lendersapproved 65,018mortgagesinOctober,slightlybelowSeptemberbutaboveforecasts, eventhoughremortgagingapprovalsdroppedandnetlendingdeclined.
Meanwhile,housepriceinflationremainssluggish.AccordingtoNationwide house-pricedata,theaverageUKhomenowcosts£272,998a0.3%monthon-monthincrease,butannualgrowthslowedto1.8%.
Newdatashowsaroundhalfofborrowersarenowfavouringtwo-yearfixed deals,reflectingcautioninapotentiallyvolatileinterest-rateenvironment. Thispreferencelikelytiestoexpectationsofanear-terminterest-ratecutby BankofEngland(BoE),withmarketsbroadlyoptimisticaboutacutbefore Christmas.
Despitevariouseconomicheadwinds(inflation,fiscaluncertainty)the combinationofstableapprovalnumbers,lenders’rate-adjustments,and
