Lender and loan servicer Pepper Group is launching a mortgage origination business in Ireland. With the business kicking off on February 1, Pepper will offer residential and "buy to let" loans. Pepper has been operating in Ireland since 2012 when it established a loan servicing business. The company said in a statement that the experience gained servicing third party loans allowed it to expand into lending. Adrienne Smith has started at Bank of Queensland in a newly created role of general manager of third party distribution. Matt Baxby, BOQ's group executive for retail banking, said the new role reflected the strategic importance of brokers to the Bank, including the introduction of Virgin Money mortgages through the broker channel in the coming months. Smith has moved to BOQ from CBA, where she held a similar role.