Mortgage opportunity detection
Mortgage opportunity detection is not hard because opportunities are difficult to find. Deciding which ones are worth a client’s time, and holding back the rest, is what separates a useful list from one advisers stop opening.
Quick answer
Mortgage opportunity detection is the automatic identification of clients in an adviser’s book whose position has changed enough to justify contact: their rate is beaten by the market, they have crossed a loan to value band, or their fixed rate is nearing its end.
The harder half is suppression: deliberately holding back changes that are real but not yet worth a call, such as a saving an early repayment charge would cancel.
Three tiers, by cause
- Acting nowThe clock created these.
- Worth moving onThe market created these.
- When you have timeTheir position created these.
The reason, always attached
Each opportunity carries its cause and an indicative figure, and confirmed ones flow into lead management with a score.
Never shown
- Charge cancels itHeld until the arithmetic changes.
- Borderline readingsKept as a watch, not a call.
- Completed casesStop reappearing.
A list you will open
See it with a sample book.
Seven signals, three sources of change
| Signal | Driven by | Triggers when |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed rate ending | The clock | The fix enters the remortgage window |
| On standard variable rate | The clock | A fix ended and nothing replaced it |
| Rate beaten | The market | Their band’s pricing beats their rate, net of any charge |
| Band reached | Their position | They crossed into a cheaper loan to value band |
| LTV in reach | Their position | An overpayment would cross the next threshold |
| Tracker to fixed | Macro | Market inputs clearly favour fixing |
| ERC revisit | Held back | A better rate exists but the charge cancels it for now |
What the engine refuses to show you
Each rule exists because its absence produced a list advisers stopped trusting.
- ChargesA saving the charge cancels is held, not shown.
- BorderlineA marginal market reading is a watch.
- FinishedCompleted cases do not come back.
- GapsMissing data is flagged, never guessed.
A system that shows you something you cannot act on is spending the only thing it has: your trust in the list.
See ERC-aware savingsWhat mortgage opportunity detection actually is
Any system can generate a list. Run a comparison across a few hundred clients and dozens will technically have a better rate available somewhere. Wider UK lending trends, against which any book should be read, are published by UK Finance.
The problem is that a list which surfaces everything is worse than no list. An adviser who calls three clients and finds two savings vanish under an early repayment charge stops opening it. A detection system is only as good as the things it refuses to show you. Detection is what turns a connected book into a pipeline; see mortgage lead generation for why that pipeline behaves differently from a bought one.
The seven signals
Fixed rate ending and standard variable rate are driven by the clock: finite, dated and already known to the lender’s retention team. See fixed rate expiry leads.
Rate beaten is driven by the market, measured net of any applicable charge. Band reached and LTV in reach are driven by the client’s own position; see LTV bands. Tracker to fixed weighs six market inputs and only surfaces the clearer readings; see market intelligence. ERC revisit is the held-back list, explained on ERC-aware savings.
Grading urgency by cause
Acting now covers what the clock created. A fix inside the remortgage window is finite and dated, and if these are not worked, someone else works them.
Worth moving on covers what the market created. A rate beaten today may not be beaten in three weeks. When you have time covers what the client’s own position created: a band reached or an overpayment worth proposing. These are still true next month.
What mortgage opportunity detection does not do
It does not know your client. It sees balances, dates, bands and pricing, not that someone is moving next year or changing jobs. A surfaced opportunity is a prompt for a conversation, and only the adviser can judge whether it is appropriate.
It is only as good as the client’s data, which is why gaps are flagged rather than filled. It does not confirm eligibility, because affordability and criteria sit between a market rate and a product the client can get. And it does not advise anyone. Theo informs; the adviser advises.
How detection works
Pricing is refreshed daily from a mortgage sourcing system covering the intermediary market, by loan to value band, term and product type. Retention pricing is stored separately from open market pricing. Savings are calculated net of the applicable early repayment charge, elapsed periods use one consistent calendar month basis, and completed opportunities are suppressed on every rebuild.
Common questions
How does mortgage opportunity detection work?
Why suppress opportunities rather than show everything?
What is the difference between an opportunity and a watch?
How often does detection run?
Does it work if a client’s record is incomplete?
Is a detected opportunity a recommendation?
The signals in detail
Published by Theo App Ltd. Theo is software for regulated mortgage professionals. Theo App Ltd is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, does not give mortgage advice and does not recommend products to consumers. Opportunity figures shown in Theo are indicative, depend on eligibility, affordability and lender criteria, and must be checked with the client before advice is given. Advisers remain responsible for the advice they give and for their own regulatory obligations.