Profile: Sally Laker

The managing director of Mortgage Intelligence trained to teach ballet but she leapt into the homeloan business and is aiming to lead the M-Day dance

During a period of upheaval for the mortgage industry, a certain amount of poise and grace is required. No problems there for Mortgage Intelligence managing director Sally Laker, a trained dance teacher and aspiring artist.

Despite having trained to teach ballet, Laker has spent most of her life in the mortgage business and is now at the forefront of seeing one of the biggest changes to the industry.

The major challenge for MI, according to Laker, is to ensure it is a quality network with a strong infrastructure that can deliver all that has been promised to members. She hopes that MI is able to be a one-stop-shop for all brokers to access, whatever part of the industry they are in - be it directly authorised, appointed representatives or those focusing solely on the commercial side.

The Bournemouth-based mortgage club and network was launched as a new business in 1996, when Laker joined as a sales manager. It was acquired by UK merchant banker Close Brothers Group in March 1997 and Laker became sales and marketing director.

She has been kept very busy since M-Day with lenders clarifying processes and MI staff answering members' queries. There have been enquiries from members about lenders having different criteria on dealing with brokers. For example, some lenders require each broker to register individually online while others do not. There have also been problems with FSA numbers being accepted online. But Laker says: "These are the kind of things to be expected. After all, this is only the first week of mortgage regulation."

But she does find it astounding that some intermediaries have only just...