Challenge
The UK mortgage process was slow, complex, and heavily broker-led. Customers experienced friction, delays, and limited transparency. Santander recognised the opportunity to rethink the experience but had no predefined brief to guide it. The challenge was to simplify a highly regulated, risk-heavy process whilst maintaining trust, compliance, and commercial performance.
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Solution
Equator collaborated proactively with Santander to design and deliver the UK’s first truly digital, self-service mortgage journey.
The ambition was not just incremental improvement, but a transformation of the category.
- Conducted large-scale consumer research to understand pain points and confidence barriers
- Designed a clear proposition and brand that reassured customers at every step
- Built a secure, Sitecore-based platform with embedded AI-driven personalisation
- Enabled real-time comparison of hundreds of high-street mortgage products
- Delivered a fully digital application journey, completed in under 15 minutes
- Provided instant offers in principle, available anytime, on any device
- Managed regulatory, risk, and compliance requirements end to end
- Defined and delivered the launch and five-year integrated marketing strategy
Results
First digital mortgage journey of its kind in the UK
Mortgage applications reduced from weeks to minutes
Increased turnover and reduced operational cost for Santander
Expand reach and improved brand engagement
Proposition acquired and implemented by the UK's largest comparison platform
Outcome
Santander shifted from participating in the mortgage market to transforming it. The programme changed customer expectations, cut reliance on intermediaries, and established a new industry standard for digital mortgages. It serves as a clear example of how proactive, outcome-focused digital transformation can deliver benefits not just for one organisation, but for an entire market.