Under the term 'Independent', which action must a housing loan lender take?

• A. publish in a national newspaper on a yearly basis the names and addresses of any mortgage intermediary that they have removed from their register.
• B. retain a publicly accessible register of all mortgage intermediaries to whom they have issued a current appointment.
• C. publish in a national newspaper on a monthly basis a list of all the mortgage intermediaries to whom they have issued a current appointment on an annual basis.
• D. seek approval from the Central Bank of Ireland if they wish to remove a mortgage intermediary from their register.

Answer: (B)

Being independent in this context means the lender must be transparent about who is authorized to act on its behalf. To show this, the lender keeps a publicly accessible register that lists every mortgage intermediary to whom it has issued a current appointment. This outward-facing list makes it clear which intermediaries are officially appointed by the lender, helping consumers verify who can represent the lender and ensuring there are no hidden arrangements.

Why this is the best fit: a publicly accessible, current-appointment register directly fulfills the independence requirement by providing ongoing visibility of the lender’s appointed intermediaries. It avoids implying any obligation to publish removed intermediaries, monthly or annual newspaper lists, or needing Central Bank approval to remove someone, which aren’t the stated duties for maintaining independence in this context.