Bingley is about to become the core of a Europe-wide mortgage outsourcing business.

That was the message delivered by the chairman of US giant Alltel at its official UK opening in Bingley last week.

The firm has spent £1 million upgrading the former Bradford & Bingley (B&B) building in Main Street since entering into a joint venture with B&B last July.

Chairman Jim Mulligan joined the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq, and Alltel's managing director, Nick Woodcock, for the event via a video link.

Speaking from Jacksonville, Florida, to the assembled guests at Alltel Mortgage Solutions' new offices, he said: "While we will be providing a certain amount of support and assistance from the US, this is very much a UK-based operation in Bingley.

"We're very proud of the facilities here, and plan to offer mortgage outsourcing and technologies to the whole European market from our Bingley base."

Alltel's deal with B&B means it now handles all of the bank's mortgage processing and support services, along with those of other mortgage lenders.

Around 500 of its 650-strong workforce were transferred over from the bank, and the company has implemented training schemes to help those employees adjust to the new set-up.

Refurbishment work at the site has included remodelling the whole of the top floor into an executive presentation suite, with video conferencing facilities.