LendWell signs biggest UK deal with SPF Private Clients

LendWell has signed a multi-year agreement with SPF Private Clients, its biggest UK partnership so far.

Implementation is under way, with a wider rollout planned for 2027. LendWell is working with SPF to tailor the platform to the broker's operating model, systems and requirements across mortgage and protection work.

The agreement marks another step in LendWell's expansion into the UK after building its business in Ireland. SPF, part of Howden Group, employs more than 200 people and advises on mortgages, insurance and protection, commercial finance and financial planning.

LendWell's software is designed to handle parts of the administrative process around mortgage and protection cases. The system uses information from documents, calls and other communications to prepare paperwork, manage follow-up tasks and coordinate the work needed to move cases towards submission. Advisers remain responsible for advice, while lenders retain responsibility for credit decisions.

The approach reflects a wider effort across financial services to use artificial intelligence in operational work rather than only in customer-facing tools. For mortgage brokers, where advisers often split their time between client conversations and paperwork, reducing manual administration has become a key area of investment.

The SPF rollout will cover mortgage and protection journeys. LendWell argues that a large share of skilled adviser time is still spent on administrative tasks, and that linking case information to supporting evidence allows software to complete defined work for adviser review.

The UK agreement follows an earlier deployment with Finance Solutions, part of Howden Ireland. LendWell said that rollout moved Finance Solutions' mortgage operation onto its platform in 2026 and gave the company experience of working inside a live regulated mortgage business.

Jamie Lawless, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of LendWell, said the company sees a distinction between digitising processes and removing manual work.

"Mortgage technology has spent years digitising processes, but digitising manual work isn't the same as removing it. Too much mortgage expertise is still consumed by administration. We believe the next step is to put AI to work on the mortgage case itself, taking on more of that work rather than simply giving advisers another tool to use. That's what we're building LendWell to change," said Lawless.

"The aim isn't to replace professional judgement, but to make better use of it. By reducing the work around that judgement, mortgage businesses can create more capacity to grow and advisers can spend more time with their clients.

"The opportunity is to take work off advisers' desks by extracting information from documents, calls and other communications, linking it to supporting evidence and progressing cases more efficiently. With SPF, we are building that capability around the way its teams operate, so more of their expertise can be focused on serving clients and growing the business. We're looking forward to working together to put that approach into practice."

For SPF, the tie-up centres on whether technology can reduce the volume of work around the advisory process without forcing a wholesale change in systems. That matters for larger intermediary businesses, which often need new software to sit alongside existing operating structures.

James Rodea, Managing Director at SPF Private Clients, said: "Our advisers' expertise and the relationships they build with clients are at the heart of our business, so we're always looking at how technology can help them spend more time where it adds most value. What we liked about LendWell was its focus on reducing the work around the advice while working with our existing systems and processes. That gives us the flexibility to introduce the technology in a way that works for our business.

"Ultimately, this is about creating more capacity for our people while continuing to deliver the high level of advice and personal service our clients expect."

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement. The rollout adds to signs that specialist mortgage technology suppliers are seeking growth by targeting intermediary firms that want to improve productivity without increasing headcount at the same pace.

Advisers retain responsibility for advice and lenders for credit decisions, while LendWell's technology supports the administrative, underwriting and operational work around those decisions.