IMLA

What IMLA does

IMLA (Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association) is a UK trade association that represents the views and interests of mortgage lenders generating business via professional financial intermediaries. Founded around 1988/1996 (incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, company number 02264559) and operating from a registered office at Market Harborough, IMLA is governed by five elected Directors plus an Executive Director (Kate Davies), with Richard Beardshaw of HSBC UK chairing the Management Committee in 2024–2025.

The association operates a membership model with two tiers: Full membership (53 members, £4,000 per year for 2026/27) open to mortgage lenders using the intermediary channel, and Associate membership (15 members, £1,500 per year) open to firms working closely with those lenders. IMLA does not offer a software product; its core outputs are industry research and policy advocacy, including a quarterly Mortgage Market Tracker, Market Briefing reports, the annual 'New Normal' prospects report, and consultation responses. The subscription year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

IMLA's economic relevance is anchored in its coverage: 18 of the 20 largest UK mortgage lenders (by gross lending) are members, and the association accounts for representation of over 90% of UK mortgage lending. Its go-to-market is direct membership recruitment and senior-management engagement, supported by events (lunches, dinners, meetings), publications, and a PR relationship with Paula John Communications. IMLA engages regularly with the FCA, PRA, Bank of England, and HM Treasury, and coordinates with peer trade bodies AMI, BSA, and UK Finance.

Name

IMLA

Legal name

IMLA - Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association

Website

https://imla.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IMLA is the UK trade association representing mortgage lenders that distribute via professional intermediaries, with 53 Full and 15 Associate members covering over 90% of UK mortgage lending, funded by annual subscriptions and delivering policy advocacy, networking, and industry research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Loan & Unsecured Credit Intermediation (FSAEAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home Equity & HELOC Intermediaries (FSALABAE)

Keywords

• Mortgage lender trade association
• Intermediary mortgage representation
• UK mortgage industry research
• Mortgage market lobbying
• Trade association membership

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Full Membership Subscriptions: Full membership fee for 2026/27 is £4,000 per year. New members joining part-way through a year are charged on a pro-rata basis. Subscriptions run from 1st July to 30th June annually.
2. Associate Membership Subscriptions: Associate membership fee for 2026/27 is £1,500 per year. Associate membership allows firms to attend IMLA lunches, dinners and events and make presentations at IMLA meetings on an invited basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMLA is the UK trade association that represents the views and interests of mortgage lenders involved in generating mortgage business via professional financial intermediaries. Its core offering consists of Full and Associate membership subscriptions that give lenders access to industry lobbying, networking events, quarterly and annual market research publications, and direct engagement with regulators including the FCA, PRA, Bank of England, and HM Treasury. The association also publishes the quarterly Mortgage Market Tracker, Market Briefing reports, and the annual 'The New Normal' prospects report for the wider market.

Product overview

IMLA (Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association) is a trade association representing UK mortgage lenders engaged in intermediary mortgage business. Rather than offering a technology product, IMLA provides a portfolio of research publications and membership services: the core offering is the Mortgage Market Tracker (quarterly intermediary sentiment reports), supplemented by Market Briefing publications covering economic and housing market developments, annual prospects reports titled 'The New Normal', and specialized research on topics like mortgage affordability and the private rented sector. Membership services include lobbying representation, regulatory policy influence, and industry networking events. The association does not develop or offer a software platform, API, or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IMLA Full Membership Annual subscription membership for UK mortgage lenders distributing through the intermediary channel, providing lobbying representation, regulatory engagement with the FCA, PRA, Bank of England and HM Treasury, senior-management networking events (meetings, lunches, dinners), and access to research publications. The 2026/27 fee is £4,000 per year, with pro-rata billing for mid-year joiners.
• IMLA Associate Membership Annual subscription membership for firms that work closely with intermediary mortgage lenders, providing access to IMLA lunches, dinners, and events and the ability to make invited presentations at IMLA meetings. The 2026/27 fee is £1,500 per year, with pro-rata billing for mid-year joiners.
• IMLA Mortgage Market Tracker Quarterly research publication tracking intermediary sentiment, case volumes, conversion rates, and adviser confidence in the UK mortgage market, made available to members and the wider industry as a flagship IMLA publication.
• IMLA Market Briefing Series of periodic market analysis publications covering economic developments, housing market trends, and mortgage market conditions in the UK, distributed by IMLA's research team.
• The New Normal (Annual Prospects Report) Annual prospective research publication delivering forecasts for UK mortgage and housing markets, including gross lending projections, buy-to-let market outlook, and analysis of trends over the coming one to two years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53 Full members and 15 Associate members representing over 90% of UK mortgage lending
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)coreOthersIMLA regularly meets with the FCA to discuss regulatory policy and market developments affecting the mortgage industry.
• Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA)coreOthersIMLA maintains regular engagement with the PRA on prudential regulatory matters affecting mortgage lenders.
• Bank of EnglandcoreOthersIMLA engages with the Bank of England including the Financial Policy Committee on macroprudential policy affecting the mortgage market.
• HM TreasurycoreOthersIMLA works with HM Treasury on government policy affecting the housing and mortgage markets.
• Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLA works closely with AMI to address market challenges, promote best regulatory outcomes, and evolve the lender/broker relationship. Jointly published 'Working together' guides on lender and intermediary accountabilities.
• Building Societies Association (BSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLA collaborates with BSA on shared industry concerns and regulatory policy positions.
• UK FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLA works closely with UK Finance alongside other trade associations to address market challenges and promote regulatory outcomes.
• Paula John CommunicationsminorOthersPR agency assisting IMLA with communications and media relations. Contact: Paula John, Tel: +44 (0)7973 435 299.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA): MBA is the dominant US mortgage industry trade association offering research, lobbying, and member services across the real estate finance value chain. It is comparable to IMLA in mission and operating model, but at much greater scale and across a different geography.
• Financial Services Roundtable / Bank Policy Institute: BPI is a US broad-based financial services trade association that includes mortgage lending among its policy priorities. Comparable to IMLA as a trade association model with regulatory advocacy and research products, though operating at a much broader scope.

Direct peers

• UK Finance: UK Finance is the leading trade association for the UK banking and finance industry. It overlaps with IMLA on mortgage lender representation and policy engagement with UK regulators, and the two organisations collaborate formally on shared mortgage industry positions.
• Building Societies Association (BSA): BSA represents UK building societies, many of which are also IMLA Full members. It engages on the same regulatory issues (FCA, PRA, Bank of England) and works closely with IMLA on shared mortgage industry concerns, making it a directly comparable trade body for lender-side advocacy.
• Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI): AMI represents the broker/intermediary side of the UK mortgage distribution chain that IMLA's members sell into. AMI and IMLA jointly publish 'Working together' guides and collaborate on regulatory outcomes, making them the closest counter-party trade body.

Others

• Council of Mortgage Lenders (historical): CML was the former UK mortgage lender trade association whose functions were absorbed into UK Finance in 2017. It is directly relevant as the historical predecessor/institutional analogue to IMLA and illustrates the consolidation pressure on standalone mortgage trade bodies.

Regional players

• Finance & Leasing Association (FLA): FLA is a UK trade body representing consumer and asset finance providers. It is comparable to IMLA as a UK-focused finance trade association running membership, lobbying, and research programmes, though its core remit is consumer and asset finance rather than mortgage lending.
• European Mortgage Federation (EMF): EMF is the European-level umbrella for national mortgage lender associations. It addresses similar lender-advocacy themes at EU level and is comparable to IMLA as a mortgage industry trade body, but operates regionally rather than in the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imla-the-intermediary-mortgage-lenders-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IMLA