The computer can still say 'no'

The Bank of England held the base rate for another month and we all breathed a small sigh of relief as some industry pundits had suggested that a reduction may occur.   Obviously it would be good for the consumer, but not so good for keeping the funds moving around the marketplace.   As it is, many are already enjoying a nice base rate tracker and sitting comfortably with no intention of moving, and why would they?  From the business aspect and funding lines, lenders need to turnover customers, attract new business and collect fees.   More money moving around is good news for the market; static money tends not to be!

With this in mind, and as I have not reported on the monthly “creditaction” figures for a while, here are some stark reminders of the state of the economy:
·         Average household debt in the UK (including mortgages) was £55,448 in June. 
·         The average amount owed per UK adult (including mortgages) was £29,687 in June. This was around 121% of average earnings.
·         105 properties are repossessed every day (based on Q1 2012 trends).
·         1,443 Consumer County Court Judgements (CCJs) are issued every day
·         314 people are declared insolvent or bankrupt every day
·         1,607 people a day reported they had become redundant between March and May 2012.
·         The UK population is growing by an estimated 1,342 people a day

Meanwhile, credit scoring is creating havoc for mortgage applications via high street lenders.  Most lenders credit score applications based upon the amount of credit you have, whether you are on the electoral role and your recent payment profile on any existing credit.  If the computer says ‘no’, you will tend to find all high street lenders doors shut to you.  But fear not, if you have a reasonable deposit and can prove all income, there are lenders who do not credit score, but will manually review and underwrite affordable applications on an individual basis.  AToM has access to a number of these lenders so don’t despair if the high street lender’s computer says no. If you fit the above profile, give us a call to see if we can assist.

Figures show the true picture

This week, I thought I would show some of the figures that highlight the financial state of our  economy and the daily impact it is having on the end consumer (figure estimates from creditaction):

-          318 people are declared insolvent or bankrupt every day (based on Q4 2011 trends). This is equivalent to 1 person every 62 seconds during each working day.

-          1,473 Consumer County Court Judgements (CCJs) are issued every day (based on Q4 2011 trends). The average value of a Consumer CCJ in Q4 2011 was £2,949.

-          Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales dealt with 8,518 new debt problems every working day during the year ending December 2011.

-          93 properties are repossessed every day (based on Q4 2011 trends).

-          1,896 people a day reported they had become redundant between November 2011 and January 2012.

The average household debt in the UK (including mortgages) was £56,058 in February.  The average amount owed per UK adult (including mortgages) was £29,671 in February.  This was around 123% of average earnings.

The estimated average mortgage outstanding for the 11.2m households that carry mortgage debt stood at £111,358 in February.

The typical first-time buyer deposit in January 2012 was 20% (around £30,303). The average first-time buyer borrowed 3.20 times their income and the average first-time buyer loan was an estimated £121,212.

However, saving the best until last - a survey by Unbiased.co.uk has found that nearly half of all mortgage holders have failed to look at their mortgage arrangements in the last three years. 49% of borrowers admit that they have not reviewed their mortgage since the Bank of England’s Base Rate fell to 0.5% in March 2009.  Indeed, 56% of mortgage holders say that they are in fact unaware of the interest rate that they are currently paying on their deal!  Of those who do know their current rate, fixed mortgage rate holders are paying an average rate of 4.63%. However, around 42% are paying a rate of 5% or higher.  Yet, the average Mortgage Interest rate was 3.33% at the end of February!  I have to ask why?  When was the last time you reviewed your mortgage?

First Time Buyers will get the ball rolling again...

First time buyer confidence is increasing. We are seeing healthy enquiry levels from first timers either on their own or using a shared ownership scheme. Lenders historically agreed mortgages based on income multiples. Some would lend up to 3.75 x income, some up to 5.1. On joint applications similar style calculations applied. Most lenders now base their decision on affordability along with a review of your credit history which details financial liabilities, previous addresses, financial associations you have with other people and much more. Credit searches provide a full financial picture to lenders, enabling them to decide if you have a good risk profile. You can access your own Experian report via the AToM website and we recommend this to any applicant looking at the mortgage market. It is well worth understanding what details a lender will be using to assess your potential borrowing capacity.
Despite the school break coming to an end with many of us breathing a sigh of relief to have survived it safely without losing too much hair, Christmas is just around the corner and will creep up quickly! Have the last few weeks been costly? Have you been ignoring your finances hoping they will go away? Are there financial decisions looming? If so, now is a good time to start reviewing them.
Recent figures from Credit Action suggest that 33,600 applications for credit have been turned down daily during the past six months. 3,036 people became redundant daily in the 3 months to the end of June. In the same period 125 properties were repossessed daily and, today, 362 people will be declared insolvent or bankrupt. Stark figures indeed!

An Equifax survey recently reported that almost 30% of consumers are turning to parents or close family members for help with debt repayments or finances. More than 50% will openly discuss their financial situation with friends and family. This being the case, it really is time to seek independent professional advice.

Mortgage lending restricted to 3 times income?

This weeks announcement from the Council of Mortgage Lenders advises that mortgage lending figures for February were down some 60% against the same time last year. Hardly surprising when available products had dropped some 85% in the same period and most lenders criteria has changed dramatically! Due to the continued pressures that lenders are placed under, they are finding many ways to refuse applications, even for those with large deposits and good credit ratings. In addition, some high street lenders have recently reduced their maximum loan amounts to £250k, and others lending above £500k are charging an additional 1% per annum for the increased “risk”!
The US government recently announced plans to buy over $1trillion of toxic mortgages from struggling US banks. Mortgages that should not have been granted in the first place and were always unlikely to be paid consistently by the consumer. No surprise there then! However, this is a positive move forward and is intended to stimulate US lenders in to funding again albeit supported by the public sector!
In contrast, the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) are expected to announce plans to look at restricting the amount of mortgage loans advanced to consumers by capping income multiples. Only 2 years ago you could obtain a mortgage loan at 6 to 8 times your income, depending on your status. This has already reduced to the 4 to 5 level but is heavily reliant on the computer not saying “no”! The new plans are to restrict lending to just 3 times income….
This is partly justified by recent reports from the FSA that mortgage arrears are up 31% for the last quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. It’s interesting to note that arrears statistics are only reported when the mortgage account reaches 1.5% of the balance. So, on a £100,000 mortgage, the account needs to be in arrears of £1,500. Therefore, the true picture of mortgage arrears is probably substantially higher.
With an average house price in the south east of £248k (BBC statistics) and borrowing at 75% loan to value on 3 times income, you will need to prove annual income of £62k! The days of mortgage rationing are looking more like reality!
Following the success of our Mortgage Clinic we are holding another on Saturday 4th April, from 9am to 2pm, at our North Street office, Horsham. Please do come along!

The statistics...

I thought this week I would review some ‘interesting’ statistics which have just been released!
Credit Action suggests that today in the UK:
- 323 people will be declared insolvent or bankrupt. One person every 4.5 minutes.
- 2,430 County Court Judgements will be issued
- 144 properties will be repossessed
- 33,600 applications for credit will be declined
- Unemployment will increase by 1,600
- There are more debit/credit/charge cards in circulation than people, with an estimated 73m in use…
Let’s stop there and see if we can put a positive spin on this:
- Average house prices for first time buyers now stand at £140,857
- According to smile.co.uk, the credit crisis has made 64% of Britain’s change their attitudes towards spending. The average Brit saved £1,882 in 2008, but plans to increase this to £2,605 in 2009!
And the reality…
Openness about finances is important to a relationship. A new survey from CreditExpert.co.uk suggests a very different story:
- 1 in 5 adults admit they haven’t told their partners what they owe!
- 10% (3.2m) have set up a secret bank account!
- Women are more suspicious than men (not new news!), with 31% secretly looking at their partner’s paperwork, against 24% of men!
- While 17% of men aren’t telling their partners what they really earn, against 13% of women, 28% of females do not own up to the full amount of their spending on clothes and shoes, against 11% of men….
So where am I leading with this? Undoubtedly, it is time to batten down the hatches, extract heads from the sand and review your finances. A visit to AToM, for impartial, independent advice, could help you see through the next few months more comfortably, especially if you find yourselves in, or approaching any of the above categories.
We are delighted to be exhibiting at Microbiz at the Drill Hall, Denne Road on the 14th March. Do visit us there or pop in to our offices in North Street, Horsham at any time. We will be pleased to assist you.