Compliance and operations · 3 minute read
Systems needed for directly authorised mortgage brokers
Map the software, people and evidence behind a DA mortgage firm: case management, oversight, data handling and specialist services, with a practical checklist.
The useful bit
Start with the responsibilities your firm must carry out, then map the people, systems and evidence needed. No single software purchase establishes that a firm is ready for direct authorisation.
Who this is for: People preparing a directly authorised mortgage firm, and existing DA firms reviewing whether their systems support their operating model.
Start with a real task
A fictional firm preparing for direct authorisation has chosen a CRM but has not yet decided who reviews file exceptions, maintains its policies or covers key-person absence. A technology checklist helps only when those responsibilities are explicit. This article is a starting worksheet; the existing Achos direct authorisation guide covers the wider application and operating context.
A routine you can adapt
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Firm owner
Map activities and responsibilities
Describe the business you intend to operate, the permissions relevant to it and who owns each important control. Read the FCA's current mortgage broker application guidance and connect your choices to the firm's actual clients and services.
Keep: A responsibility map linked to the business plan and application evidence.
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Operations lead
Build a technology stack checklist
Cover client records, case tasks, fact finds, documents, communication and management information. Separately assess sourcing, identity-related checks, e-signatures, accounting and any other specialist services your process needs. Confirm actual connections rather than assuming one system includes all of them. For mortgage broker record keeping, agree which system holds the authoritative record and how your retention schedule applies to working copies and exports.
Keep: For each activity: supplier, owner, access arrangements and any manual handover.
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Oversight lead
Make review and escalation visible
Define how a file is reviewed, how an exception reaches a decision maker and how the decision is followed up. A useful mortgage broker audit trail lets a reviewer trace the action, person and decision. For Consumer Duty work, identify the evidence your firm needs to understand outcomes; a reporting screen on its own is not the review process.
Keep: A sample review trail, unresolved issues and a dated action log.
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Implementation lead
Rehearse operation and interruption
Use fictional cases to practise onboarding, a correction, a staff absence and a system outage. Test recovery arrangements with the relevant provider and document who can make decisions when the usual owner is unavailable.
Keep: A rehearsal record, identified gaps and named owners for closing them.
Filled example · fictional data
A mortgage broker technology stack checklist
| Operating need | System or process | Accountable person | What to demonstrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case continuity | CRM and task handover | Operations lead | Another colleague can find the next action |
| Advice evidence | Case record and review process | Adviser / reviewer | Reasoning, source evidence and unresolved questions |
| Operational resilience | Provider arrangements and recovery plan | Firm owner | A rehearsed response to loss of access |
The FCA's application guidance asks firms to explain their proposed business and controls. Use the worksheet to expose gaps in your operating arrangements; a list of subscriptions is not a substitute for demonstrating how the firm will work.
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Take it into your next review
Start with the completed example, or use the blank version with your firm's own information. CSV files open in Excel and other spreadsheet apps. Store any live case data in your firm's approved location.
One next step
Put it to work
Complete one row for each activity in your firm. Take unclear ownership or missing evidence into the relevant section of the direct authorisation guide, then resolve it with suitable professional support.
Explore CRM for directly authorised brokersThe product walkthrough illustrates the workflow. Your firm remains responsible for its advice, controls and decisions.
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