Legal notice | Site map

David Johnson Chief Executive Officer

David Johnson is one of the most well known and respected figures in the UK mortgage industry and the City of London. He is an accomplished media spokesman and is well known among members of the personal finance press corps, and his views on industry matters are regularly sought. Regarded by many as the man that created specialist mortgage lending in the UK, David Johnson’s career spans over 30 years. During this time he created J&J Securities – an organisation that in the 1980s paved the

way for centralised lenders to offer mortgage finance to borrowers disenfranchised by high street lenders. In the 1990s, David led the management buy-out of Ocwen, the UK’s largest specialist residential mortgage lender. Within three years, the company had been renamed igroup and was regularly posting sales figures to rival that of lenders on the high street.

The company’s success brought it to the attention of GE Capital, the world’s largest company. In the summer of 2001, GE acquired igroup in a transaction with an equity value of £216 million.

Commercial First Mortgages was launched in September 2002. Today, David Johnson is responsible for overseeing the development of the company’s dynamic sales strategy – and maintaining strong working relationships with Commercial First’s growing army of mortgage brokers and independent financial advisers.

Away from the office, David Johnson has become one of the leading owners of National Hunt racehorses and has been the Champion Owner in three different seasons. His trainer is the well-known Martin Pipe and Champion jockey, Timmy Murphy, rides his best horses.