Home Funding founder launches Anglo-Dutch risk and due diligence joint venture

Based in Utrecht in the Netherlands and London, Fortrum will also provide risk analytics, specialised underwriting, surveillance and workforce solutions for financial assets across the whole of Europe.

The business is a joint venture between Tony Ward and Simon Collingridge of London-based Home Funding and Jaap van Raak and Michel van der Sluis of The Dutch Mortgage Consultants BV.

Ward is the founder and CEO of risk, mortgage and strategy consulting firm Home Funding. He was previously president and CEO of pan-European risk consultancy Clayton Euro Risk.

Fellow director Collingridge also spent time as a director at Clayton Euro Risk, having also served as managing director of structured finance at Standard & Poor’s.

Michel van der Sluis is founder of The Dutch Mortgage Consultants and a former lobbyist at the Dutch Banking Association.

Jaap van Raak will serve as managing director of the firm. He is co-owner of The Dutch Mortgage Consultants and was responsible for maintaining and enhancing the terms and conditions at The Dutch Mortgage Guarantee Fund.

Tony Ward, said: “Global investors are increasingly focusing on the dynamic and growing Dutch mortgage market and European securitisation markets show further signs of re-emergence. With continuing pressure from regulators, governments and markets on banks across Europe to address the scale of non-performing loan exposures, there is a clear opportunity for a new type of player in the due diligence and risk arena.”