Some news doesn’t feel like much of a headline. But today, we share that Bower Home Finance has won the equity release broker customer service award for 2026, named the best equity release broker for customer service by the people who matter most. We’re proud, genuinely, can’t-stop-smiling proud, and we want to tell you a little more about what it takes to be recognised for our excellent customer service.
If you’ve never come across these awards before, here’s what makes this one different: it isn’t decided by a panel of executives or the size of a marketing budget. The What Mortgage Awards, now in their 33rd year, are nominated and voted for entirely by readers. That means real customers took the time to say “this adviser looked after me properly.” That is what makes this particular recognition mean so much to us. It isn’t a judgement of our brochure. It’s a judgement of how we made people feel when dealing with the money, and often the memories, tied up in their home, and how that really mattered. In an industry with many companies competing for attention, our clients told us what actually matters.
Why This Award Matters
Equity release isn’t a decision anyone takes lightly, and it shouldn’t be treated like one. As a firm, our focus has always been on the person opposite us, not just the product. For most of our clients, taking equity release means:
- Unlocking money tied up in a home that has been part of their life for many decades
- Planning carefully around family, inheritance, retirement, pensions, and long-term financial circumstances
- Having lifetime mortgages and the wider equity release market explained patiently, in plain English rather than confronting industry jargon
- Feeling fully aware of every option, and confident enough to make one of the biggest financial decisions of later life, without ever feeling rushed
That is a great deal of trust to place in another person. So when it was our own clients, the people who sat across the table, or spoke to us on the phone, and made this decision alongside our advisers, who voted us the best adviser, and best broker, for customer service, it confirmed the thing we care about getting right above all else.
“When we started Bower, the goal was always to be the equity release specialists people trusted enough to recommend to their own family. Winning the equity release broker customer service award, voted for entirely by our clients, tells us we’re still building the company we set out to build.” – Geoff Charles, CEO
The ethos of Bower Home Finance has always been “Trust. Honesty. Service,” and this award goes to show that we are working with this ethos, and a customer first service, at the heart of everything we do.
Two of our real clients put it far better than we ever could:
“I would absolutely recommend Bower to anyone.”
“Brett was fantastic and so I would recommend Bower and Brett.”
Those two lines mean a lot to our whole team. They’re the reason this award has our name on it.
What Award-Winning Service Actually Looks Like
We didn’t win this by having the flashiest marketing videos, the loudest spokespeople, or the biggest advertising spend. We won it through the everyday things our advisers, and every employee behind them, do, client after client, consistently exceeding expectations rather than just meeting them:
- Listening first, before recommending anything. No two homeowners’ circumstances are the same, so no two plans should look the same either.
- Explaining the “why”, not just the “what”. Every client deserves to understand the reasoning behind our advice, not simply be told to sign on the line.
- Never rushing a decision. Big questions deserve as much time as it takes to answer them properly, even if that means going over things twice, or three times.
- Comparing the whole of the market. Our ability to compare trusted equity release lenders across the whole market means we can match each client to the best equity release lender for their circumstances, not just the first provider on a shortlist, and not just whichever lender pays the highest interest to us.
- Staying in touch after completion. Our relationship with a client doesn’t end once the paperwork is signed. We’re still here for the years that follow.
- Making sure family is part of the conversation, when a client wants them involved, so decisions are made with everyone’s confidence and understanding.
These are the reasons we’re holding this recognition today, and hope to continue building on in the future, alongside the winners and highly commended firms across personal finance awards, mortgage awards, and equity release awards each year.
“Every client I, or a member of the team, sit down with is trusting Bower with one of the biggest decisions of their later life, and I never forget that. This award belongs to the couples and families who let us into that conversation, I’m just glad we did right by them.” – Neil Wallace, Equity Release Specialist
A New Standard, Starting Now
We haven’t shared this award to pat ourselves on the back and move on. We’ve shared it because we believe it should set the bar, for us, and for what every UK homeowner should be able to expect from a financial adviser, and specifically an equity release adviser, they’re trusting with something this significant.
Going forward, this recognition is the standard we hold ourselves to, not a finish line to relax at. We measure our success by the trust our clients place in us. Every client who calls us in the future deserves the same patience, honesty, and support that earned us this award.
“Award-winning service doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built over time, adviser by adviser, conversation by conversation. My job is making sure every person who speaks to a client at Bower has the knowledge and the patience to earn this kind of trust, and this award tells me we are doing the right thing.” – Mark Glithero, Training and Competency Manager
Thank You
To every adviser and employee who shows up for our clients with such care, respect, and attention to detail, well done, and thank you.
To every client who took the time to nominate and vote for us, thank you. This award carries your name as much as ours. You trusted us with one of the biggest decisions of your later life, and telling others about that experience is the highest compliment we could receive.
To the What Mortgage Awards team, marking your 33rd year of celebrating the UK’s homebuying and later life lending industry, thank you for running an award that is judged by the people who matter most: the customers themselves.
Thinking About Equity Release?
If you are considering releasing equity from your home, we would be happy to show you why our clients recommend us as the best equity release broker for their needs. Speak to a committed later life lending adviser for a free, no-obligation consultation, no jargon, no pressure, just honest advice at your own pace.
Book your free consultation
Equity release is a long term loan secured against your home and may involve a lifetime mortgage or home reversion plan. To understand the features and risks, ask for a personalised illustration. Equity release requires paying off any existing mortgage or debt, may affect your tax position, pension entitlements, welfare benefits, and retirement income, and will reduce the value of your estate. Speak to an adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and registered with the Equity Release Council before taking equity release.
