The Five Minute Interview with Alan Cleary, Managing Director, Precise Mortgages

By Tony Sanchez 9th December 2011

Precise Mortgages is a lender which specialises in residential mortgages, short term lending and buy to let mortgages.

Precise Mortgages distributes its products exclusively through the mortgage intermediary market. Precise Mortgages bring new money into the UK mortgage market which will help you to help customers who have been locked out of getting a mortgage from a high street lender.

We speak to Managing Director, Alan Cleary:

What is the best thing about being in the bridging finance business?

Given all of the doom and gloom we read in the press everyday it is nice to be working in a part of the mortgage market that is positively growing.

What keeps you focussed?

Paying my mortgage, utility and petrol bills.

What qualities do you look for in your employees or colleagues?

A positive outlook and being a hard worker are the two things you can’t teach people, they have either got it or they haven’t.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Optimist, being a pessimist doesn’t look like much fun.

What did you want to be as a child?

I didn’t know what I wanted to be. My parents were publicans and all I knew was that I didn’t want to be a publican.

What will be the greatest challenge facing the bridging finance industry in the coming months?

The worse things get in Europe the more difficult it is going to become to fund mortgages. We could do with some stability in order for the markets to settle and stop the rise in Libor rates.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Comedy is the new rock and roll and I enjoy going to see live acts. Birmingham has a couple of comedy clubs and I have recently seen Russell Kane who was very funny as well as very clever.

Do you dread Monday mornings?

Depends how bad Sunday night was. Normally Monday is my office day so I look forward to getting myself up to date and focused on the week ahead.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My salary, whenever I see it I think it looks small, I wish it was bigger.

With whom would you most like to have dinner?

Margaret Thatcher. I would ask her what she would do about the current wave of strike action.