About Us
John Charcol first opened its doors in 1974 - the name reflecting a three-way partnership between John Garfield, Charles Wishart and Colin Studd. Since then, John Charcol has grown to become the UK's leading independent mortgage adviser. Our clients are busy people who want the best mortgage deal. But with limited time on their hands and an increasingly complex mortgage market, they need to turn to a name they can trust.
Our independent advisory service, John Charcol, is available face-to-face. One of our expert mortgage advisers will scour the market to find the mortgage that's right for you. If you don't need independent advice you can use our online service, Charcol where you can choose from over 36 lenders and apply online. Alternatively, let our mortgage advisers do it all for you, over the telephone, where we select the right mortgage from our panel of 36+ lenders, and manage your application through completion.
Through our advisory service, we bring you:
- A truly independent service, offering you a choice of 4,000 mortgages from over 100 lenders.
- The reassurance of dealing with a company with an award-winning reputation , built over more than 30 years in the industry.
- The additional market-leading choice and flexibility of our exclusive mortgage deals - which you won't find direct from lenders.
- The award-winning expertise of our highly trained advisers.
- Comprehensive support from our Sales Associates after application.
A truly independent service
Not all mortgage advisers are independent. Those that are, like John Charcol, offer you a truly unbiased view of the mortgage market, which covers over 4,000 mortgages from more than 100 lenders.
Our independent status means that you can be confident that an adviser's recommendation will be the best solution for your needs. Other advisers or brokers may only be able to offer you a limited selection of mortgage options, or provide you with less flexibility in the way they are remunerated. We offer a professional, fully independent service, for which we are remunerated in a combination of ways:
Client fee: Initial discussions with a John Charcol adviser are obligation free. When you choose to transact mortgage business through John Charcol, a fee may be charged. In the case of a regular mortgage application a fee of up to 1% of the sum borrowed may be charged. John Charcol receive a commission from the lender that your mortgage is arranged with and it is our usual practice to offset this fee by the amount of commission we expect to receive from the lender.
John Charcol has a service for clients who may be experiencing difficulty obtaining a regular mortgage due to adverse credit issues. For arranging a credit impaired mortgage application a fee of up to 2% of the sum borrowed maybe charged. For more information about this service, please contact us for a copy of our Guide to Consolidating Loans.- Booking fee: A booking fee, which is currently £75 is charged at application on all exclusive and semi-exclusive mortgage products.
- Commission from insurance companies: This is paid to John Charcol when a protection policy is arranged through us. The level of income we receive from insurance companies and lenders will be disclosed to you when a quotation is provided.
During your discussions with an adviser, you will discuss and agree the level and type of remuneration that John Charcol should receive on successful completion. This is only payable if you choose to go ahead and arrange your mortgage with us. So importantly, you are free to meet an adviser for initial discussions on an obligation-free basis.
Our award-winning reputation
John Charcol's independent expertise, built over more than 30 years, is highly regarded by industry bodies, mortgage lenders and journalists. Our experts are frequently called upon by the media to comment on mortgage and property related issues, and in 2004 alone we were quoted in 953 articles in the national press. Our principle spokesperson, Ray Boulger, is one of the UK's foremost experts on mortgages, with regular appearances on TV and radio.
We have also been recognised with a large number of award wins and nominations over the years, both for our advisory business and for Charcolonline:
John Charcol Awards
2006 Mortgage Introducer Awards - Winner Best National Broker
2006 British Mortgage Awards - Peter Tsouroulla receives Intermediary of the Year
2006 British Mortgage Awards - Ray Boulger receives Press Spokesman of the Year
2005 Headline Money Award - Ray Boulger receives of Guru of the Year
2005 Financial Adviser Sales Awards - Peter Tsouroulla receives Mortgage Broker of the Year
2005 Mortgage Strategy Awards - Winner Best Broker for Professional Development
2005 What Mortgage Awards - Winner Adviser of the Year (voted for by readers of 'What Mortgage')
2004 Pink Home Loan Awards - Winner National Mortgage Broker
2004 Mortgage Advisor & Homebuyer Awards - Winner Best Mortgage Broker
2004 Global Midas Advertising Awards - Finalist Certificate
2004 What Mortgage Awards - Winner Best Mortgage Adviser (voted for by readers of 'What Mortgage')
2004 Mortgage Strategy Awards - Ray Boulger receives Lifetime Achievement Award
2004 Mortgage Strategy Awards - Winner Best Overall Mortgage Broker (Bradford & Bingley Group)
2004 Money Marketing Awards - Winner Silver & Bronze - Outdoor Brand Campaign
2003 Evening Standard Homebuyer Show - Winner Best Stand
2003 Headline Money Awards - Ray Boulger wins Mortgage Strategist of the Year
2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 - Money Marketing Awards - Winner IFA of the Year
2002 Financial Adviser IFA & Provider Awards - Nominated IFA of the Year
Charcolonline Awards
2006 Pink Home Loans Service Awards - Winner Best Online Broker
2006 Mortgage Introducer Awards - Winner Best Online Broker
2006 Financial Adviser Mortgage Awards - Winner Online Mortgage Provider
2004 Online Finance Awards - Winner Best Online Mortgage Provider
2004 Online Finance Awards - Highly Commended Best Online Financial Advice Site B2C
2004 Financial Adviser Mortgage Awards - Winner Online Mortgage IFA of the Year
2003 Online Finance Awards - Winner Best Online Mortgage Provider
2002 New Media Age Effectiveness Awards - Nominated Online Banking & Personal Finance Award
2002 Revolution Awards for the Digital Economy - Nominated Most Innovative Online Business
2002 Mortgage Strategy Awards - Winner Best Mortgage Broker (Best Use of Technology)
2002 Investor's Week Online Finance Awards - Winner Best Mortgage Provider
2001 Connections Awards - Nominated Best Use of the Internet for Customer Communications
2001 Institute of Financial Services Financial Innovation Awards - Winner Most Innovative e-delivery Channel & Grand Prix
2000 Investor's Week Online Finance Awards - Nominated Best Intermediary
2000 eBusiness Transformation Awards - Winner - Most Creative Initiative
2000 MSN - Winner Customer Relationship
1999 Find.co.uk - Winner Website of the Year
Exclusive mortgages
John Charcol's expertise and size allows us to secure exclusive mortgage deals with top lenders and we typically offer more than 50 exclusives at any one time. These may be mainstream, market-leading fixed or discounted rates which offer beneficial rates and terms. Or they may be mortgages designed with the needs of specific consumer groups in mind. For example, we have been instrumental in securing better mortgage terms for the self-employed, buy-to-let investors and divorcees.
If you choose one of our exclusive or semi-exclusive mortgages, John Charcol will charge a booking fee of £75, which is payable on application. This fee will be fully refundable until point of application.
For more information on our current range of exclusives, call 0800 71 81 91.
Our advisers
Each of our advisers is a highly trained expert on mortgages and they receive comprehensive support from our in-house technical support teams, to ensure that they have the latest market information at their fingertips.
When you meet with a John Charcol adviser, they will take the time to find out about you - your income, financial circumstances and future plans - before making any recommendations. This is a detailed process, after which they will present their recommendations for mortgage products and repayment options, as well as discussing your mortgage protection needs. And being very familiar with each lender's underwriting criteria, your application will only be placed with providers whose criteria you are likely to meet.
John Charcol has over 100 advisers based in branches around the UK, with our head office in London. Call 0800 71 81 91 for more details.
Our Sales Associates
After your adviser assists in submitting the mortgage application, you will be assigned a Sales Associate to oversee the day-to-day processing of your mortgage application - with the objective being to minimise the amount of time you need to spend on paperwork. They will liaise directly with your solicitor, surveyor, lender and other parties involved in the application to ensure the mortgage and homebuying process runs as smoothly as possible.
All lenders require a valuation of the property to be carried out and in most cases, John Charcol will instruct a valuer on your behalf as part our service to you. If you require a more detailed inspection such as a homebuyer's report or full structural survey - or help in selecting a solicitor - we can also arrange this.