Hints and Tips on Remortgaging
Over the past year or so many people in the UK have decided to remortgage as a result of rising interest rates and decreasing affordability. In order to avoid the implications of missed and late repayments due to lack of affordability homeowners have flocked to secure a better deal elsewhere, with some looking for a lower interest rate and others looking for increased financial stability by switching from a variable rate deal to a fixed rate deal. Read more
Tags: late repayments, cheap fixed rate, rate mortgage deals, half, home equity, remortgaging, remortgages, fixed rate mortgage deals
Rush on remortgages amidst fear of rate rises
September 26, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
July of this year saw over a billion pounds worth of mortgages being taken out each day with many homeowners deciding to remortgage amidst fears that that interest rates would continue to rise following five interest rate hikes in the space of a year.
The highest in over six years the base rate currently stands at 5.75%, following five rate hikes of 0.25% each since August of last year. Many homeowners have had to cope with rising repayments as their mortgage repayments have soared along with interest rates.
According to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders nearly £35 billion was borrowed in the month of July on mortgages, which reflects a 13% rise on the amount that was borrowed in July of last year. According to the CML this increased figures result from the surge of homeowners that have decided to remortgage in order to try and get a better deal on their mortgage in the light of the series of interest rate rises that have taken place – and the threat of further interest rate rises that may yet take place.
A spokesman from the British Bankers Association stated: ‘Longer-term trends in mortgage lending are little changed but July’s strong rise was surprising, given the expected cumulative impact of higher interest rates. The resilience shows the popularity of home ownership and also reflects more remortgaging activity.’
An official from the Building Societies Association stated: ‘As mortgage payments increase, household finances are likely to be squeezed further. Even if interest rates are near their peak, potential borrowers need to think about all their outgoings to make sure they do not overstretch themselves financially.’
Tom Smith
26th September 2007
Rush on remortgages amidst fear of rate rises
September 21, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
July of this year saw over a billion pounds worth of mortgages being taken out each day with many homeowners deciding to remortgage amidst fears that that interest rates would continue to rise following five interest rate hikes in the space of a year.
The highest in over six years the base rate currently stands at 5.75%, following five rate hikes of 0.25% each since August of last year. Many homeowners have had to cope with rising repayments as their mortgage repayments have soared along with interest rates.
According to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders nearly £35 billion was borrowed in the month of July on mortgages, which reflects a 13% rise on the amount that was borrowed in July of last year. According to the CML this increased figures result from the surge of homeowners that have decided to remortgage in order to try and get a better deal on their mortgage in the light of the series of interest rate rises that have taken place – and the threat of further interest rate rises that may yet take place.
A spokesman from the British Bankers Association stated: ‘Longer-term trends in mortgage lending are little changed but July’s strong rise was surprising, given the expected cumulative impact of higher interest rates. The resilience shows the popularity of home ownership and also reflects more remortgaging activity.’
An official from the Building Societies Association stated: ‘As mortgage payments increase, household finances are likely to be squeezed further. Even if interest rates are near their peak, potential borrowers need to think about all their outgoings to make sure they do not overstretch themselves financially.’
Tom Smith
21st September 2007
Nationwide puts an end to ’same mortgage’ deal promise to its existing customers
November 29, 2006 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
Despite the fact that the UK’s fourth largest mortgage lender has run a very public and prolonged promotional campaign based around its promise of giving exactly the same deal to its existing mortgage customers as it does to first-time buyers, come 1 December the Nationwide’s existing 1.2 million mortgage customers will no longer be given such treatment.
In what many are seeing as incredible marketing blunder, the Nationwide has announced that with effect from the 1 December it will no longer continue to treat its existing UK mortgage customers the same as it does new ones. Henceforth, existing mortgage customers who want to re-mortgage, switch to a better deal, or borrow against the equity in their homes will be faced with higher interest rates than customers looking to buy new homes.
Unlike its main rivals, the Nationwide has long prided itself on the fact that it will not discriminate against existing customers, but with the new rates coming into effect from 1 December, Nationwide customers wishing to re-mortgage, switch to better deals, or simply borrow more on their equity will now face the prospect of two-tier interest rates that range from 4.73% for house purchases to 5.88% for re-mortgages.
In its defence, the Nationwide are claiming that the change to their policy is in-line with the UK home lending market’s trend of offering “slightly better rates” for home-movers. This may be so, but for a UK home mortgage lender that has built such a public image around its promise of offering the same service to both existing customers and new customers, Ray Boulger, senior technical manager at Charcol, the mortgage broker, says, “There’s no way you can legitimately claim you’re offering the same deals for everybody if your existing customers don’t have access to the cheaper purchase rates.”
If it is any consolation, existing Nationwide customers will be entitled to receive a £100 discount off the reservation fee if the decide to switch from one Nationwide home mortgage product to another, or if they elect to increase the amount of their UK mortgage loan. Nationwide also agreed to waive its re-mortgage administration fee of £99 for existing customers who re-mortgage.
Nonetheless, as Melaine Bien, associate director of Savills Private Finance comments, although the changes allow Nationwide to “become more competitive with its pricing when attracting first-time buyers,” the promise that no-one would receive preferential treatment at the Nationwide “no loner stands”.
Tags: Mortgages, time, paymenst, offers, buyers