Neal Jannels discusses whether brokers’ CRM systems are doing enough to support client retention and capture remortgage opportunity.
What if one of the biggest threats to your client retention isn’t another broker, a lender or a comparison site, but the limitations of the customer relationship management (CRM) you already use?
This question has become increasingly relevant in 2026 as intermediary firms, large and small, turn their attention towards the growing remortgage opportunity. For context, UK Finance forecasts that around 1.8 million fixed-rate mortgages will mature this year, with a large proportion falling in the second half. Against this backdrop, external remortgage lending is expected to rise by 10% to £77bn, alongside £261bn of product transfers.
For established firms, many of those borrowers may already be sitting within their client bank. The challenge is making sure their CRM helps them identify, engage and retain these clients before someone else does.
Previous business doesn’t guarantee future business
Brokers cannot assume that a client they advised two or five years ago will automatically return when their current deal ends. Their lender already knows the maturity date and will have its own retention strategy in place, so waiting for the client to make contact risks leaving the door open. And this is exactly where a CRM should earn its keep.
Can you quickly identify every client whose mortgage deal ends within the next three, six or 12 months? Can you see who has been contacted and what needs to happen next?
If answering those questions requires a spreadsheet, a manual search or a separate diary reminder, there is a risk that valuable opportunities will be missed.
A modern CRM should use the information already held within the business to trigger tasks, reminders and workflows, helping brokers act earlier and manage their client bank more effectively.
Retention starts before the remortgage
The strongest client connections are built between mortgage transactions, not just when the next one is approaching. A client who last spoke to their broker several years ago may have heard regularly from their lender and other financial firms since. Technology can help brokers stay relevant during that gap through planned reviews, useful market updates and communications linked to key dates.
It isn’t about drowning clients in marketing material and unnecessary communications. It’s about maintaining a relationship so that when they do need mortgage advice again, their broker remains front of mind.
This is especially relevant in an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment, where many borrowers are facing higher outgoings across the board. The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted the global economy, driving volatility in energy prices, bond yields and financial markets, while also pushing up market interest rates. And with recent years providing plenty of reminders that conditions can change quickly, the value of advice has risen alongside the importance of building longer-term client relationships.
Maintaining those relationships across a large client bank is difficult to do consistently without the right technology behind it. And this is where the information already sitting within a CRM becomes particularly valuable.
However, CRM’s can only work effectively with the information available to it. Accurate mortgage details, key dates and client records allow firms to identify when clients may need support and make contact at the right time. But firms should expect more than a database.
For example, our approach is to connect CRM functionality with sourcing, audit trails, document management, email and SMS communications, pre-underwriting and third-party integrations. Bringing more of the mortgage process together reduces duplication and helps brokers manage clients and cases without constantly moving between separate systems.
For firms with hundreds or thousands of previous clients, this can make a significant difference to how effectively those relationships are managed.
In short, the 2026 remortgage opportunity is clear and this will continue into 2027, but having a large client bank does not guarantee repeat business. The real test is whether your technology makes it easy to identify who needs attention, maintain useful contact and act at the right time.
So perhaps the question for intermediary firms isn’t whether they have a CRM, it’s whether the CRM they’re already paying for is doing enough to help them keep their clients.
Neal Jannels is managing director at One Mortgage System (OMS)
