Our Story
From two friends with a shared belief that everyone deserves the right mortgage advice, to a team that has helped over 600,000 people and continues to work toward a simple mission: to be the most loved for mortgages.
It started with a simple idea – people deserve the right mortgage advice
In 2010, mortgage advisor Pete Mugleston and marketer Dave Bird became friends.
Pete was working for a high street bank, frustrated that he had to turn away people who didn’t meet strict lending criteria, even when he knew other lenders would consider them. Dave believed that good businesses could make a real difference when they focused on helping people.
Their conversations kept circling back to the same problem:
People with more complex circumstances, bad credit, non-standard income, unusual properties, didn’t know where to turn for trustworthy advice.
So they decided to change that.
From bank advisor to content creator
After the financial crash, getting a mortgage became much harder. Every day, Pete found himself saying, “Sorry, we can’t help you,” while knowing that the answer from another lender might be yes.
In 2013, he left the security of his job and teamed up with Dave.
Pete shared his knowledge online by writing helpful guides aimed at people who were looking for trustworthy mortgage advice. Dave built a website to make that information available to anyone who needed it. Together, they created Online Mortgage Advisor.
A gap no one else was filling
At a time when banks were cautious and approval rates were low, Online Mortgage Advisor quickly became a place for people who felt stuck.
We grew by helping people who had been told “no”, only to discover that the real answer was “yes, with the right lender.”
As demand grew, they began working with specialist mortgage advisors across the UK who shared the same commitment to helping people with the same problem.
The Sliding Doors Moment
Pete and Dave often talk about a moment of inspiration from the 1998 film Sliding Doors. In the story, one small event creates two completely different paths through life.
They saw mortgages in the same way.
For many people, the right mortgage advice becomes a turning point, a moment that shapes where they live, how secure they feel, and what their future looks like.
- Get the right guidance, and new possibilities open up.
- Get the wrong guidance, and things can become unnecessarily difficult.
That belief still sits at the heart of what we do.
What We’ve Learned
People often don’t get the help they need
Over the past decade, working with 600,000 customers, we’ve seen countless examples of people being held back simply because they weren’t given the right options.
- A self-employed person declined by their bank, even though specialist lenders would have accepted them.
- Someone with a minor historic credit issue pushed toward unnecessarily high rates.
- A buyer losing out because they didn’t know which lenders move quickly.
These examples can be avoided with the right specialist advice.
And we’ve seen the difference the right advice can make
You can view some of our incredible stories here from previous Online Mortgage Advisor customers. These success stories are why we built this company, and why we care so deeply about doing things properly.
The Journey So Far
The Mission Continues
Becoming the most loved for mortgages
Today, Online Mortgage Advisor is no longer just Pete and Dave. We’re a team of specialist mortgage advisors, case managers, and support staff, all driven by the same mission.
Over time, we’ve transitioned into a fully regulated mortgage brokerage with our own in-house experts. We’ve built tools like our mortgage comparison feature to make the market clearer.
Our Founders
Pete Mugleston, Managing Director
Pete started his career during the credit crunch, earning a reputation for going the extra mile when others had given up. His technical expertise and commitment to helping people, especially those with complex needs, became the foundation of Online Mortgage Advisor.
David Bird, Marketing Director
Dave’s principles-led approach to marketing has always been grounded in delivering real value. When he met Pete, their skills aligned perfectly: Pete brought the deep mortgage expertise, and Dave brought the ability to reach the people who needed it most.