United Trust Bank’s managing director – mortgages & bridging, announces his retirement
Robert Owen, managing director of United Trust Bank’s (UTB) mortgages & bridging division, has announced that he will be stepping back from his day-to-day responsibilities from the beginning of June 2021 and retiring at the end of the year.
Robert joined UTB in 2015 to oversee the Bank’s launch into the specialist mortgage sector, starting with its multi-award winning second charge mortgage offering and subsequently adding a range of first charge products. The Bank quickly won significant market share and became one of the top providers of secured loans in the mortgage sector. He was appointed managing director of the combined mortgages & bridging division in 2016.
Robert’s successful career spans four decades during which he has become one of the most recognised and respected figures in the mortgage industry, holding several board positions at well-known lenders. He founded the London Mortgage Company as CEO of Matlock Bank, was divisional director at Lloyds TSB and was the senior independent director at Al Rayan Bank and chairman during its change of ownership in 2013. He is currently a board director of the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA).
For the remainder of 2021 Robert will continue to support UTB’s chief commercial officer, Mark Stokes, in an advisory role and work on several projects across the Bank including the further development of UTB’s mortgage proposition. He will also remain on the Bank’s Diversity & Inclusion committee and continue his work with the FLA and the Chartered Banker Institute – 2025 Foundation.
Announcing his retirement, Robert Owen said: “I have been very fortunate in my career working with wonderfully talented people. No more so than at UTB. Graham Davin and Harley Kagan have built a tremendous success story based on the people ethic, with the focus always on teamwork and customer service. I wish them all, particularly Buster Tolfree now taking over mortgages and Gavin Diamond taking over bridging, continued success in the future.”
Harley Kagan, United Trust Bank’s chief executive officer, commented: “Rob’s wealth of knowledge and experience was invaluable in helping us to develop and establish our successful mortgage offering and in developing the combined mortgages & bridging division. Both teams are writing record levels of new business and he is handing them over in great shape. We will be sorry to see Rob retire, but I’m delighted that we will continue to benefit from his advice and wisdom for at least the remainder of the year. We are very grateful to Rob for his contribution and wish him all the very best for his retirement.”
