# Marbella Non-Resident Mortgage Broker Selection: Bankinter vs Andbank vs Lionsgate vs Spectrum IFA

The cheapest mortgage rarely comes from the cheapest broker. In Marbella's non-resident market, four channels dominate the €500K-€10M loan band, and each is structurally different — different lender access, different fee logic, different timelines, different post-completion service. Picking the wrong channel costs you 30-80 basis points over a 20-year loan; on a €3M mortgage that is €180,000-€480,000.

## Direct answer

For a non-resident buyer in Marbella in 2026 the practical broker stack is **Bankinter Banca Privada** (private-bank direct, embedded in the property finance), **Andbank** (Andorran private bank with strong non-resident operation), **Lionsgate Capital** (independent boutique broker, Marbella-based), and **Spectrum IFA Group** (cross-border IFA with mortgage capability for UK/EU pension and offshore-asset clients). Each occupies a distinct niche. **Bankinter** is fastest for clean cash-rich profiles; **Andbank** is best for offshore-trust and complex-source-of-funds files; **Lionsgate** is best for shopping multiple Spanish lenders simultaneously; **Spectrum** is best when the mortgage sits inside a broader pension-and-investment plan. Broker fees range from €0 (lender-paid) to 1% of loan amount (independent boutique) — both are normal; what matters is which structure delivers the right rate against your specific profile.

## The four channels side-by-side

| Channel | Type | Lender access | Broker fee | Typical timeline (pre-approval to offer) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bankinter Banca Privada | Private bank, direct | In-house only | €0 (bank-paid) | 14-21 days | Clean profiles, AUM relationship, fast close |
| Andbank | Private bank, direct | In-house + select correspondents | €0 (bank-paid) | 21-35 days | Offshore trusts, complex SoF, family office structures |
| Lionsgate Capital | Independent broker | 12-18 Spanish lenders | 0.5-1.0% of loan | 30-45 days | Rate shopping, atypical profiles, US clients |
| Spectrum IFA Group | Cross-border IFA + mortgage | 6-10 Spanish lenders + UK SIPP-linked | €0-€2,500 flat | 35-60 days | UK pension transfer, embedded financial planning |
| Direct to Spanish high-street (Santander, Sabadell) | Direct | One lender | €0 | 45-90 days | Resident profiles only — non-resident files routinely delayed |

The headline rates each broker can achieve in Q2 2026 cluster within a 30-60 basis point band on a 20-year fixed: roughly 3.85-4.45% for prime non-resident 60% LTV. Where they differ materially is approval speed, file flexibility, and the willingness to accept atypical income (crypto, founder equity, trust distributions, multi-jurisdiction salary).

## Channel-by-channel deep dive

### Bankinter Banca Privada

The default channel for clean Marbella non-resident files. Bankinter has dedicated non-resident teams in Marbella, Madrid, and Geneva, and pre-existing relationships with most luxury developers (Sierra Blanca Estates, Ikasa, Dolphin Capital). Their value proposition is **speed plus integration** — pre-approval in 14-21 days, in-house valuation (Tinsa-affiliated), in-house notary coordination, and embedded private banking AUM relationship that prices the loan against your assets, not just the property.

Sweet spot: €1M-€8M loans, EU/UK/Swiss buyer with documented salary or fund-distribution income, willingness to deposit €250K-€1M of liquid assets at Bankinter to anchor the relationship. Typical pricing for a 20-year fixed at 60% LTV: 3.85-4.10% in Q2 2026.

Weakness: rigid on credit profile. US buyers with W-2 income but recent Roth conversions, or founders with stock-comp dominated income, often hit Bankinter's "too complex" wall around €2M+ loans. Crypto wealth is rejected outright.

### Andbank

Andorran private bank with substantial non-resident Marbella operation. Andbank's value proposition is **structural flexibility** — they will underwrite trust-owned properties, multi-jurisdictional source-of-funds files, and offshore-corporate buyers that Bankinter declines. Fees are similar (lender-paid, no broker fee) but the AUM anchor required is higher (€500K-€2M) and the timeline longer (21-35 days).

Sweet spot: €2M-€10M loans, complex SoF (multi-trust, family office, layered LLC), buyer who will commit to a multi-product Andbank relationship (Lombard credit, fiduciary services, wealth management). Typical pricing: 4.00-4.30% on the same 20-year fixed.

Weakness: minimum file size effectively €1.5M. Too slow for sub-€2M deals; the underwriting committee meets monthly and can stretch a 35-day timeline to 60 if the file lands wrong.

### Lionsgate Capital

The Marbella-headquartered independent boutique. Lionsgate brokers across 12-18 Spanish lenders (Sabadell Solbank, Banco Santander, BBVA, Caixa, Unicaja, plus second-tier Catalana Occidente, Liberbank). Their model: paid by the buyer (0.5-1.0% of loan amount), so they shop the entire lender market simultaneously. The fee feels expensive but the lender competition typically returns 20-40 basis points of savings, which on a €3M loan is €30,000-€60,000 saved on year one alone.

Sweet spot: rate-shopping across multiple lenders, US buyers who fail Bankinter/Andbank's clean-profile filter, atypical income (founder, crypto, mixed W-2/1099), buyers who want zero AUM commitment to a Spanish private bank. Typical pricing: 3.95-4.20% across panel.

Weakness: timeline. Multi-lender shopping takes 30-45 days; if you have a 21-day arras-to-notary window, Lionsgate is too slow. Best used when the financing contingency in the arras gives you 45+ days.

### Spectrum IFA Group

Cross-border IFA primarily known for UK pension transfer (QROPS, SIPP) and Spanish tax-resident wealth management. They added mortgage capability in 2018 to serve their existing client base — UK retirees buying in Spain who want pension-linked credit, German Mittelstand families who want the mortgage embedded in a broader Spanish wealth plan.

Sweet spot: UK buyer transferring pension to Spanish tax residency (see our [NHR vs Beckham deep-dive](/marbella-property-buying-complete-guide-2026) for the structuring layer), German Mittelstand owner buying as part of a Spanish-resident relocation, any buyer who wants the mortgage to sit inside a coordinated investment-tax-mortgage plan rather than a transactional broker relationship. Typical pricing: 4.10-4.40% (modestly higher), but the lifetime planning value typically outweighs the rate gap.

Weakness: not a rate-shopping shop. Spectrum picks 1-2 lenders per file from a panel of 6-10 and runs the file through their own underwriting filter. Buyers focused purely on lowest rate are better served by Lionsgate.

## Where buyers commonly trip up

**Going direct to Spanish high-street banks.** Santander, Sabadell, BBVA all have non-resident mortgage products. They are also catastrophically slow for non-resident files — typical pre-approval to offer is 60-90 days, and clean files routinely get rejected for trivial documentation reasons because the front-line officer has no incentive to push a complex file through. Use a broker.

**Treating the broker fee as the headline cost.** A 0.5-1.0% Lionsgate fee on a €3M loan is €15,000-€30,000. The 30-50 basis point rate improvement Lionsgate's competitive shop typically produces is €60,000-€150,000 over the loan term. Net positive every time, on most files.

**Not asking about pre-payment penalties.** Spanish mortgages charge **comisión de amortización anticipada** (early-repayment commission) — capped by Ley 5/2019 at 2% in years 1-10 for fixed-rate loans, 1.5% thereafter. Some lenders waive entirely; some charge the full cap. On a €3M loan a full pre-payment in year 5 with 2% commission = €60,000 wasted. Negotiate the pre-payment clause hard.

**Forgetting AJD on the mortgage.** The mortgage itself triggers AJD (stamp duty, 1.2% in Andalucía) on the mortgage liability amount, not the loan amount. Standard practice is to set the **responsabilidad hipotecaria** at 130-150% of the loan principal to cover interest and costs, so a €3M loan = €4M responsibility = €48,000 AJD. Since Ley 5/2019 the LENDER pays the AJD on residential mortgages — but make sure your broker confirms in writing.

**Currency mismatch.** A GBP-earning buyer with a EUR mortgage carries a structural FX risk most brokers don't price. Either match the funding currency to the income currency (Lionsgate can source GBP-denominated mortgages from a few panel lenders), or hedge via a forward contract (covered in our [currency exchange strategy](/article-marbella-currency-exchange-strategy-en)). Ignoring FX risk on a 20-year mortgage is a 5-15% silent tax.

## When to call Muse

The week you start serious property search — well before you've identified a specific deal. Mortgage pre-approval lasts 90 days and conditions the entire price negotiation. Going to arras with no pre-approval is the most common reason Marbella deals collapse in the financing contingency window.

## FAQ

**What loan-to-value can a non-resident achieve in Marbella?**
60-70% for clean EU/UK profiles; 50-60% for US/Swiss; 40-50% for non-OECD or complex source-of-funds. The €5M+ tier typically caps at 50% regardless of profile. See the broader cost stack in our [buying fees breakdown](/article-marbella-property-buying-fees-breakdown-en).

**Can I get a mortgage in a currency other than EUR?**
Yes — Lionsgate and a few Andbank channels source GBP, USD, CHF mortgages from selected panel lenders. Pricing is typically 30-60 basis points higher than EUR equivalent but eliminates FX risk for buyers with non-EUR income. See our [non-resident mortgage process guide](/article-marbella-mortgage-non-resident-process-en) for the full operational walkthrough.

**Should I pay the broker fee even if the lender pays the broker?**
No. Bankinter and Andbank are paid by the lender; the broker fee model overlaps and you pay one or the other, never both. Lionsgate and Spectrum bill you directly. Confirm fee source in writing before instructing.

**What documents do non-resident buyers need for mortgage pre-approval?**
NIE certificate, last 2 years of tax returns (translated to Spanish, apostilled), 6 months of bank statements (all jurisdictions), payslips or proof of business income, proof of liquid net worth, and the source-of-funds memo for the down payment. Files without complete source-of-funds get stuck at compliance. Browse listings in our [property database](/properties) to start the file.

**Is there a mortgage broker fee VAT?**
Broker fees from independents (Lionsgate, Spectrum) are subject to 21% IVA when the broker is Spain-based. The fee + IVA is deductible against future Spanish capital gains tax on the property. Lender-paid commissions to Bankinter/Andbank channels do not generate buyer-side IVA.

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**Need a mortgage broker for a Marbella deal?** Muse Marbella runs the broker fit assessment against your specific profile (currency, income type, loan size, AUM appetite) before introducing — so you talk to one channel, not four. Founder Max Bykov reviews every brief personally. Read the full transaction stack in our [Marbella property buying complete guide](/marbella-property-buying-complete-guide-2026).