Are you loyal to your current Lender?

The Bank of England has released figures reporting that 49,815 loan approvals for house purchases occurred in May, slightly lower than April’s figures and below the last six month average of 51,856.

May’s remortgage approvals were also lower than Aprils at 25,759, and below the six month average of 26,443.

Neither report is much of a surprise due to the uncertainty of the emergency budget held in early June and the limited availability of attractive long term mortgage products. I suspect Junes figures may be little better.

The Land Registry House Price Index has confirmed that house prices dropped by 0.2% from April to May this year despite an annual rise of 8.2%.
The average property price in England and Wales is now £165,314 with all regions experiencing increases in their average property values over the last 12 months. London has had the biggest increase of 14.2% while the North East saw just 1.8%. The South East also had the biggest monthly rise at 0.9%. Great news for sellers, not so much for purchasers.

However, now that we know the full details and probable impact of the emergency budget, the pundits are predicting that we could see a bank base rate rise in the 3rd quarter of this year.

So, with rates relatively low and some longer term fixed rates being launched recently, now is probably a good time to review your current mortgage and see what options are available.

Most lenders want new customers, but are less likely to offer you attractive options to stay with them. This, in the main, is due to the different fees and charges that can be added to the new mortgage at the outset. In the current climate, the lenders bottom line tends to be more profitable with new clients, rather than old. So don’t feel loyal, if a better option is with another lender, then think of number one!
However, we’re still stuck with the fact that many lenders do not want to lend in huge volumes. Therefore, you may find that actually getting a mortgage becomes the main obstacle and you may have to stay with your current lender anyway! Seek advice……