Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group and a leading UK specialist real estate lender and investor, has appointed Peter Hornett as Head of Residential Credit.
Reporting into D’mitri Zaprzala, Head of Residential, Peter’s promotion further adds to the strength of the Octopus Real Estate residential team and demonstrates its commitment to the market. Peter, who joined the Octopus Real Estate credit team in 2013, has over 20 years of experience in the industry having worked in several credit roles in specialist property finance over the years. Peter embodies the company culture and is a talented leader within the business.
As Head of Residential Credit Peter will be responsible for leading the credit strategy, and the delivery of the customer service experience in the residential credit team. Since March, the team has been able to focus on early interaction with brokers and borrowers in the lending process. Remote working and virtual meetings have created an opportunity for the credit team to develop relationships with brokers and borrowers earlier in the lending process. The team is looking to continue this early interaction and increase the quality of service available to its customers.
D’mitri Zaprzala, Head of Residential, Octopus Real Estate, commented: “Peter has great experience in the industry and has an impressive track record working both lender and broker side. He really understands the needs of the customer and will be a great leader in the residential team as we look to grow. The next few months for the specialist lending sector will be extremely important given the inevitable delays in high street lending, alongside the window of opportunity before the stamp duty holiday finishes and the stamp duty for foreign nationals rises at the beginning of next year.”
Peter Hornett, Head of Residential Credit, Octopus Real Estate, commented: “As a non-bank lender we have a real opportunity to deliver for our customers over the coming months, into next year and beyond. It is more important than ever to maintain strong connections with our broker partners and given the new virtual working environment we can give brokers an early direct line to the credit team. Keeping an open communication line between introducers and the decision makers will be key to delivering on our customers’ needs. Having worked in the team for over seven years I am really excited to expand in this area and identify business growth areas over the coming months.”
