Legal & General has launch a refreshed version of its mortgage research and sourcing platform, Legal & General Ignite.

The upgraded platform will replace Legal & General’s SmartrFit tool, mirroring the company’s mission to ‘ignite’ change towards an efficient, technology-led mortgage journey for brokers and their clients.

Legal & General Ignite offers advisers a whole of market comparison service with access to 130 lenders. Advisers will also have access to second charge and bridging lending types as well as packager, product transfer, and direct product information. 

In addition, the platform will continue to provide advisers with integrated affordability calculators, client criteria, product sourcing and property checking functionality for free, via an all-in-one interface.

These additional features will broaden the range of quality data accessible by advisers using the platform and ensure that all users are able to compare products, affordability, and criteria, easily across the whole market. Advisers will still be able to download compliance documents including ESIS and Evidence of Research and will be able to switch between search streams.

Jodie White, Head of Mortgage Products & Transformation at Legal and General Mortgage Services, comments: “The refreshed platform will expand advisers’ range of features beyond criteria and affordability, with additional product sourcing capabilities. On top of this, access to quality and up-to-date data will allow advisers to secure the best possible outcome for their customers. This launch is about combining human expertise with the power of data and technology. But I’m hopeful this new platform will go beyond just saving advisers time or improving customer outcomes, to also be a part of how we transform the way the mortgage industry works.”

Richard Merrett, Director of Strategic Relationships at SimplyBiz Mortgages, adds: “We’ve seen a great deal of digitalisation in the mortgage market over the last few years and the pandemic was a key catalyst for this. It’s vitally important for everyone involved that the industry doesn’t lose this momentum and continues to evolve and innovate. The mortgage market still has some way to go to match the efficiency and tech-adoption we’ve seen transform other types of customer journeys.

“Legal & General Ignite is giving advisers the support they need to close this gap, including the ability to efficiently source products in a market which is moving at unprecedented speeds, we are very pleased to continue our partnership to ensure this technology is available to SimplyBiz member firms. In addition, the financial pressures on advisers and their customers, mean that this could not have come at a better time. Advisers need to have access to the right tools to keep up with the market and ultimately deliver for their customers.”