High Net Worth Underwriter

Afin Bank Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6x life assurance

26 days annual leave

BUPA private medical insurance

15% pension

Annual discretionary bonus eligibility

Health & Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Afin Bank Limited is a UK bank focused on high‑net‑worth clients and complex lending. This role UNDERWRITES mortgage and property‑secured loans, assessing income, wealth, liquidity and repayment capacity in line with policy and delegated authority.

You will review high‑value property valuations, manage risk and aim for sound customer outcomes in a growing UK bank regulated by the FCA and PRA.

Qualifications

• Proven, recent experience underwriting UK mortgages or property-secured lending for HNW clients.
• Ability to assess non-standard income, assets and overseas income.
• Sound credit judgement within delegated authority or robust recommendations.
• Knowledge of MCOB, Consumer Duty and FCA/PRA controls in banking.
• Strong written and verbal communication with brokers and solicitors.

Responsibilities

• Own a pipeline of HNW applications, resolving missing information and meeting service standards.
• Assess complex income, assets and liabilities with evidence, including tax records and investments.
• Evaluate bonuses, dividends and overseas earnings for sustainability.
• Assess loan purpose, term and repayment structure including interest-only where allowed.
• Review valuations, enforceability and policy limits; escalate policy exceptions as needed.
• Present credit recommendations to authorised approvers and document rationale.

Skills

Underwriting UK mortgages

HNW lending

Credit risk assessment

Regulatory knowledge

Job description

Afin Bank is a UK Bank designed for individuals whose financial needs often go beyond traditional banking models. It caters to a diverse clientele, including self-employed professionals, foreign nationals, and high-net-worth individuals. Afin Bank offers a range of services, including savings accounts, mortgages, and investments, all aimed at helping customers achieve their financial goals.

Our products are tailored to meet the unique circumstances of their clients, ensuring that everyone’s financial journey is supported and inclusive. Driven by our vision to make banking simple, fair, and built around the customer, we combine expert understanding with innovative thinking to help people achieve their financial goals with confidence.

Our mission is to support individuals and communities that are often overlooked by traditional lenders, creating a safe and inclusive environment where customers feel understood, valued, and empowered to succeed. Backed by WAICA Reinsurance Corporation Plc, one of the world’s leading reinsurance groups, Afin Bank is built on a strong foundation of financial strength, expertise, and long‑term stability. We are committed to delivering straightforward, supportive banking solutions that help our customers build stability, grow wealth, and plan confidently for the future.

Because at Afin Bank, we believe life doesn’t fit in a box, and banking shouldn’t either.

The role

You will responsible for underwriting complex mortgage and property‑secured lending for high net worth (HNW) clients from application to completion. Assess the customer’s income, wealth, liquidity and repayment capacity, making sound lending decisions within Afin Bank’s credit policy, risk appetite and delegated authority. Combine commercial judgement with robust risk assessment and good customer outcomes in a growing UK bank regulated by the FCA and PRA.

Key responsibilities

• Own a pipeline of HNW applications, resolving outstanding information and meeting agreed service standards without compromising credit quality.
• Assess complex income, assets and liabilities using appropriate evidence, including business accounts, tax records and investment statements. Evaluate the sustainability of bonuses, dividends, partnership income, investment returns and overseas earnings.
• Establish which assets and income are genuinely available to service and repay borrowing, considering ownership, existing commitments, liquidity, currency exposure and access restrictions.
• Assess affordability under applicable mortgage rules and the Bank’s policy. Evidence eligibility before using any permitted tailored HNW provisions; refer uncertain regulatory classifications or treatments to Compliance.
• Assess loan purpose, term and repayment structure, including interest‑only lending where permitted. Evidence a credible capital repayment strategy and test sensitivity to income reductions, rate changes and asset‑value falls.
• Review high‑value property valuations and legal due diligence with valuers and solicitors. Assess loan‑to‑value, marketability, security enforceability and borrower or property concentration against policy limits.
• Approve or decline cases within delegated authority; otherwise present clear recommendations to the authorised decision‑maker. Record the rationale, risks, mitigants and conditions, escalating policy exceptions appropriately.
• Work with brokers, Business Development, Credit Risk and Operations to progress cases, explain decisions and confirm underwriting conditions are met before funds are released.
• Complete required financial crime checks with specialist teams, including beneficial ownership, source of wealth and funds, sanctions and politically exposed person checks. Escalate concerns and obtain enhanced due diligence where required.
• Maintain accurate, auditable credit files; recognise vulnerability and escalating potential customer harm or complaints. Support monitoring and reviews of deteriorating cases, and improve underwriting criteria, workflows and case data.
• You will lead on lending decisions within personal delegated lending authority. Where an application falls outside that authority, prepare and present a clear credit recommendation to the appropriate mandate level.
• Further to complex cases, you will be part of the Credit Committee and present to CEO, CFO and CRO.
• You will produce clearly documented credit rationalises; identify and escal ate policy exceptions; assess source of funds and wealth and escal ate any financial crime issues

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven, recent experience underwriting UK mortgages or property‑secured lending for HNW customers, managing complex cases independently from application through to completion.
• Ability to assess non‑standard or irregular income, business‑owner finances, investments, overseas income and personal balance sheets, distinguishing headline wealth from accessible repayment resources.
• Sound credit judgement: experience making decisions within delegated authority or producing robust recommendations for authorised approval, with the confidence to challenge cases outside appetite.
• Practical knowledge of applicable MCOB requirements, HNW eligibility and tailored provisions, Consumer Duty and financial crime controls in the FCA/PRA banking environment.
• Strong assessment of high‑value property, valuations, loan‑to‑value, legal ownership, security and interest‑only repayment strategies. Ability to identify weaknesses and propose proportionate mitigants.
• Clear credit writing and confident communication with brokers, valuers, solicitors and colleagues. Strong organisation, attention to detail and ownership in a small, growing team.

Desirable

• Ultra‑high net worth customers, trusts, partnerships, special purpose vehicles (SPVs), family investment structures and multiple‑property security, within the lender’s approved product scope.
• Presenting complex credit proposals to senior approvers or a credit committee, and supporting portfolio reviews, arrears or forbearance decisions.
• Developing HNW lending criteria, credit policy, underwriting procedures or systems in a growing bank or specialist lender.

£45,000 - £60,000 a year

Conduct and accountability

Follow the Bank’s applicable FCA and PRA Conduct Rules, policies and controls. Act with integrity, due skill, care and diligence; be open and cooperative with regulators; treat customers fairly; observe proper standards of market conduct; and deliver good outcomes for retail customers where the relevant rule applies. Complete required training and raise risks, breaches and concerns promptly.

Our Values

• Curiosity
• Togetherness
• Empowerment
• Innovation

Benefits

Our benefits package consists of but not limited to:

• 6x life assurance
• 26 days annual leave
• BUPA private medical insurance
• 15% pension (5% employee contribution and double matched as 10% employer contribution)
• Annual discretionary bonus eligibility
• Access to a suite of competitive benefits under Health and Wellbeing
• Colleague social events