Mortgage Lender Benchmark H1 2026: The results

The Broker Experience Index, introduced in H1 2025 and based on multiple satisfaction and service measures, is now 70.2 – down 0.8 points from the last report. Meanwhile, the average Net Promoter Score (NPS) is +40.9, down 0.4-points from H2 2025.

New for our H1 2026 edition, The Broker Perception Map (available In the full report) brings together multiple measures of broker experience to assess lenders across two key dimensions – overall experience strength and the balance between operational delivery and relationship-led support.

The results form part of our twice-yearly Mortgage Lender Benchmark, which analyses the state of the mortgage industry according to brokers’ views. The latest edition comprises feedback from 980 brokers at 510 firms, who gave their opinions on 126 lenders, representing 98.1% of UK gross mortgage lending.

In total, we received a whopping 4,753 pieces of in-depth qualitative and quantitative feedback on lenders.

Key findings from our Mortgage Lender Benchmark H1 2026

• Building societies are the top-rated sector, with a Broker Experience Index of 73.6
• Mainstream lenders and buy to let specialists follow closely at 70.8 and 69.2 respectively
• Bridging and commercial lenders were the lowest rated, with a Broker Experience Index of 64.2

Top broker rated lenders for H1 2026

• Overall broker experience – Halifax
• Mainstream lender – Halifax
• Building society – Nationwide
• Specialist lender – Pepper Money
• Buy to let specialist – BM Solutions
• Lifetime lender     – Pure Retirement
• Bridging and commercial lender – Allica Bank
• Digital-first lender – Atom Bank
• Residential mortgage lending – Halifax
• Buy to let lending – Godiva Mortgages
• Specialist residential lending – Pure Retirement
• Specialist commercial finance – Allica Bank

Commenting on the findings, Jake Sandford, Head of Data and Analytics at Smart Money People, commented:

"Despite the rate volatility in the first half of the year, these results show that lenders across the sector largely maintained high standards to support brokers and their customers through uncertain times. However, the slight dip in metrics across the board highlights the challenges faced by the industry during this period and, as always, there will be valuable lessons for lenders to take forward.

What is particularly encouraging is that overall performance remains strong, demonstrating the resilience of both lenders and the wider intermediary market. As market conditions and consumer expectations continue to evolve, maintaining service quality while adapting to changing borrower needs will remain a key focus.

The benchmark provides lenders with an important opportunity to understand how they are performing against their peers and identify areas where further improvements can enhance the broker and customer experience."

Hamza Behzad, Business Development Director, Finova – this edition’s sponsor – added:

“The mortgage market continues to evolve at pace, with lenders balancing operational efficiency, regulatory requirements and rising customer expectations. Across the industry, we are seeing technology play an increasingly important role in helping lenders and brokers deliver faster, more transparent and more personalised experiences.

At Finova, we believe independent benchmarking initiatives such as the Smart Money People Mortgage Lender Benchmark provide valuable insight into what is working well across the market and where opportunities for improvement exist. By giving lenders access to meaningful feedback and performance data, the benchmark helps drive continuous improvement and supports better outcomes for brokers and customers alike.

We are delighted to support this year’s benchmark and look forward to seeing the insights it generates for the industry.”

Access a summary of the report

To get a summary copy of the report or to purchase your full copy, head to our dedicated Mortgage Lender Benchmark H1 2026 page.

The Mortgage Lender Benchmark is a bi-annual report released by Smart Money People in June and December each year.

Mortgage brokers were asked to leave feedback on the last five lenders they’ve attempted to place a case with recently, as well as other providers they use within their mortgage business, and their comments on the mortgage market in general.

We captured data on 126 lenders as part of the study and 61 lenders feature in the in-depth analysis.

Smart Money People analyses the comments that brokers provide when asked what they like or what could be improved for each lender. These are mapped across 20 themes to give a rich insight into how each lender is performing.