The Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance hits major milestone
Over 1,000 learners have now registered for the CPSP programme since its launch in May 2023. The London Institute of Banking and Finance gave thanks to FIBA, the BDLA and the wider industry for their support.
In an increasingly complex property finance landscape, specialist knowledge has become essential for professionals advising clients on their options. Katy Williams, senior business development manager at Fleet Mortgages, recently achieved the highest score to date in the Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) examination. She shares insights on this learning programme, its growing importance in the mortgage sector and how it helps advisers provide exceptional end-to-end customer service. Unlike broader qualifications like CeMAP, the CPSP focuses specifically on specialist property finance areas.
“The CPSP learning programme specifically is a lot more specialised,” explains Katy. “It’s more geared around particularly specialist property finance, buy-to-let, bridging finance, development, commercial, a lot of the transactions that your average person wouldn’t necessarily go out and apply for themselves.”
These complex financial products typically require the involvement of a mortgage broker or intermediary, as they’re less accessible from a direct perspective. The CPSP equips professionals with the specialised knowledge needed to navigate these areas confidently. “
Katy achieved an impressive 68 out of 70 on her CPSP examination, the highest score recorded at the time. She attributes this success partly to genuine interest in the subject matter: “Overall I think the study text prepares you well for the exam, particularly if it’s something you’re interested in studying. It isn’t necessarily difficult to achieve a good grade if it is something you genuinely enjoy learning about.”
Her advice for others pursuing the learning programme is to focus on areas outside their existing expertise. “Think about your strengths and weaknesses, about your own knowledge already as a starting point. Read through everything and then go back and look at the areas that you might not necessarily be that familiar with.”