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BoE: Net mortgage borrowing rises to £3.6bn

Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals amounted to £3.6bn in December, according to the Bank of England’s latest Money and Credit update.

The report also showed mortgage approvals for house purchase rose to 71,000 in December, above the 12-month average to February 2020 (66,700).

Consumers borrowed an additional £0.8bn in consumer credit, on net. The effective rate on new personal loans fell by 16 basis points to 6.27% in December.

Sterling money was unchanged in December, down from a £14.1bn increase in November.

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Households’ holdings of money weakened, with net flows of £2.7bn compared with £5.1bn in November.

The effective interest rate paid on individuals’ new time deposits with banks and building societies fell to 0.36%.

Large businesses borrowing from banks fell to £0.3bn in December, whilst small and medium sized businesses repaid £0.6bn.

Private non-financial companies (PNFCs) redeemed £3.2bn in net finance from capital markets.

Dave Harris, chief executive of more2life, said: “Today’s figures suggest that December provided a quieter end to what had been a busy and turbulent year for the residential property market.

“Fuelled by the stamp duty holiday, we saw house prices climb as demand outstripped supply – especially for first or second time buyer properties.

“With gifting high on the agenda for over-55s, we also saw the later life lending market grow with the Equity Release Council highlighting that £4.8m had been released by new and returning customers in full year 2021.

“And the market’s growth wasn’t just limited to the amount of equity released – average loan sizes and the number of products in the sector both grew noticeably in 2021.

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“As we look ahead to 2022, the industry needs to focus on continuing to build this momentum by creating greater awareness and education around such products, among both advisers and borrowers.”

Paul Heywood, chief data and analytics officer at Equifax UK, added: “Consumers were dealt a triple blow to their finances in December, as inflation, the festive period and a widely debated base rate rise exhausted purse strings.

“Any consumer confidence that grew in November was quickly diminished, as demand for credit dropped and net borrowing of mortgage debt fell in line with November figures.

“We already knew that 1.7 million households defaulted on or missed at least one rent, loan, mortgage, bill, or credit card payment in December 2021, so it comes as no surprise that households were unable to inject more money into their deposit accounts.

“Lenders must be mindful of these difficult circumstances and consider using Open Banking to spot the signs of financial difficulty in advance.

“Doing so will strengthen protection against over indebtedness and help consumers to make the most informed decisions when it comes to their spending.”

Lisa Martin, development director of TMA Club, said: “Today’s figures show that 2021 ended on a quieter note when compared to the unprecedented levels of activity seen throughout the year.

“The low levels of mortgage lending since October were not altogether unexpected, especially since the market saw near record levels of activity in the lead up to the stamp duty holiday.

“The ongoing threat of interest rate rises, coupled by the increased cost of living, will lead to an increase in remortgage activity levels throughout the coming months.

“However, there is still demand among homebuyers, and brokers will need to help their customers lock into appropriate, affordable products while they can.”

By Jake Carter

Source: Mortgage Introducer

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Mortgage borrowing picks up in September, BoE finds

Net mortgage borrowing hit £9.5bn in September, a significant jump from the £4.4bn seen in August, according to new Bank or England (BoE) data.

This increase, says the BoE, “was driven by borrowing ahead of the complete tapering of lower stamp duty from October.”

It is the highest number seen since June 2021’s record of £17.1bn, the bank adds.

Alongside this, gross mortgage lending “increased sharply”, from £20.9bn to £30.7bn.

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Approvals for house purchases, meanwhile, fell on a monthly basis, from 74,200 to 72,600 while the value of this metric ticked downwards from £15.5bn to £15.3bn.

And approvals for remortgages increased slightly, from 40,000 to 41,500, with the value rising from £8bn to £8.4bn.

North London estate agency and former Rics residential chairman Jeremy Leafe says: “[These] numbers come at a particularly interesting time when the high borrowings showed buyers and sellers rushing to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday, whereas still relatively high approvals demonstrate a confidence to move even without the support of the concession.

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“Worries about inflation and mortgage rates, which are even higher since the Budget, do not seem to be reducing activity while demand particularly for family houses continues to comfortably outpace supply.”

And Mark Harris comments: “This is likely to be the last set of numbers from the BoE where the effective interest rate on new mortgages falls as several lenders, including Barclays, HSBC, NatWest and TSB, have all since raised their pricing in anticipation of a base rate rise next week.

“With the BoE hinting at a rate rise, and the Chancellor in his Budget referring to an average rate of inflation of 4% next year, all signs are that the official rate will rise for the first time since March 2020.

“Whether base rate rises or not, mortgage rates have started edging upwards as the markets have already priced in a rate rise, and possibly two or three more by the end of next year.”

By Gary Adams

Source: Mortgage Finance Gazette

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UK mortgage borrowing hits a record in June

UK mortgage borrowing hit a record £17.9bn in June as homebuyers raced to complete purchases before the stamp duty holiday started to taper off, Bank of England figures showed.

The net figure was well ahead of the previous record of £11.5bn set in March. There was no large increase in the number of mortgage approvals in recent months, suggesting a shorter time between a lender approving a mortgage and completion.

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Approvals for house purchases fell in June to 81,300 from 86,900 a month earlier. June’s figure was the lowest since July 2020 when the housing market reopened and Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a sharp, temporary cut in stamp duty for house purchases in England.

Sunak’s cut, which finishes completely at the end of September, helped fuel a frenzy in the housing market as buyers scrambled to capitalise on the reduction. However, the resulting increase in property prices meant most of the gain went to sellers. Households have also been moving house after rethinking their needs with working from home becoming the norm for many.

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The interest rate paid on newly drawn mortgages rose to 1.95% from 1.9% a month earlier and 1.72% in August 2020.

Consumer borrowing remained low as individuals took on £0.3bn of debt in June. Households repaid an average of £1.9bn a month from March 2020 to February 2021. Households deposited an extra £9.8bn with banks and building societies in June, down from an average of £14.7bn in the six months to May and a peak of £27.4bn that month.

By Sean Farrell

Source: ShareCast

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BoE: Mortgage borrowing rises to £6.6bn in May

Net mortgage borrowing climbed in May to £6.6 billion from £3 billion in April, the latest Bank of England (BoE) data has revealed.

Despite this significant leap, the BoE said borrowing still remained below the record figure of £11.4 billion achieved in March of this year.

Mortgage approvals for house purchases inched up slightly in May to 87,500 from 86,900 in April. This was also lower than the peak of 103,200 in November 2020.

Today’s data also revealed approvals for remortgage – which only captured remortgaging with a different lender – increased slightly to 34,800 in May, from 33,400 in April. This remains low compared to the months running up to February 2020, the BoE said.

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The ‘effective’ rate – the actual interest rate paid – on newly drawn mortgages went up by two basis points to 1.90% in May.

The BoE said this was marginally above the rate in January 2020 (1.85%), and compared to a series low of 1.72% in August 2020. The rate on the outstanding stock of mortgages remained unchanged at a series low of 2.07%.

Jonathan Stinton, head of intermediary relationships at Coventry Building Society, said: “It’s not surprising that the mortgage market is continuing to perform well, with homebuyers keen to move before the first change to the Stamp Duty holiday at the end of June.

“There’s also a lot of competition amongst lenders, with mortgage rates nearing record lows in some cases – this is of course great news for borrowers”

He added: “We expect figures for June to be even higher, and for activity to return to more normal levels after the threshold for Stamp Duty has been lowered to £250,000.”

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Meanwhile, Karen Noye said these figures demonstrated how buyers were ‘soaking up the last of the favourable stamp duty conditions before tapering began’.

“Once the holiday has fully come to an end in October we may enter into a market where buyers choose to wait and see and the number of people looking to buy significantly reduces,” she said.

But she warned the end of furlough and other schemes could change the landscape going forward.

“For some time, the housing market has been propped up by government schemes and initiatives like the stamp duty holiday and then 95% mortgage scheme, which has encouraged people to borrow at times where they may have chosen to sit on their hands.

“Once the government’s helping hand has been withdrawn, we may see people opt for a wait and see approach and mortgage borrowing could plummet.

“Similarly, part of the reason the market has been so hot as of recent is due to people wanting to move to properties with gardens or home offices in light of the restrictions on movement and working.

“As things get back to normal this frenzy may start to fade and people feel happier to stay put as cities open back up and outside space is lower on the agenda.”

By Kate Saines

Source: Mortgage Finance Gazette

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Record mortgage borrowing in March as owners move or improve

UK homeowners borrowed a record £11.8bn more on mortgages than they repaid in March, according to figures from the Bank of England.

This net borrowing level was the highest of any month since comparable data began in 1993.

The market was stoked up by stamp duty holidays and by low mortgage rates.

These factors encouraged some homeowners to move in time to beat the tax relief deadline or to borrow more to improve their current property.

Mortgage borrowing signals future demand to buy homes, and analysts have said that the UK housing market has been “on the boil” during the spring.

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On Friday, the Nationwide Building Society said the average property price had risen by £15,916 in the year to the end of April, to reach £238,831.

Gross mortgage borrowing hit £35.6bn in March as some people tried to beat the end of the stamp duty holidays, which were then extended in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Andrew Montlake, from mortgage broker Coreco, said stamp duty relief was having an “insane effect” on the property market.

“This mad March mortgage data highlights the frenzied rush of people to buy in the second half of last year and save thousands of pounds on stamp duty,” he said.

“But the celebrations surrounding the stamp duty holiday may soon ring hollow if the market cools off and people find their savings have been wiped out by the premium they have paid for property. When borrowing is as extreme as this, it never tends to end well.”

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New scheme

In April, some High Street lenders started selling mortgages to borrowers offering a deposit of just 5% under a new government guarantee scheme aimed at helping first-time buyers.

The new scheme will be available to anyone buying a home costing up to £600,000, unless they are buy-to-let or second homes.

The government is offering a partial guarantee, generally of 15%, to compensate lenders if the borrower defaults on repayments.

House hunters, particularly first-time buyers, might be helped in their quest to have enough for a deposit by families and individuals saving more. The Bank of England said deposits into accounts “remained strong in March”. Some £16.2bn more was deposited than withdrawn, the data shows.

Households also continued to pay back more than they borrowed on non-mortgage debt in March, the Bank said. A net consumer credit repayment of £535m was recorded, including people’s borrowing using credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts.

By Kevin Peachey

Source: BBC

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BoE: Mortgage borrowing up by record £11.8bn in March

Mortgage borrowing saw a net increase of £11.8bn in March, the strongest since the Bank of England started publishing mortgage approval data in April 1993.

Lenders approved 82,735 mortgages in March which was down by 5,000 on February’s figure.

Mark Harris says: ’The strength of the runaway housing market is being reflected in the mortgage data, with strong levels of borrowing in March.

“With homeowners borrowing an additional £11.8bn, taking net borrowing to its strongest level since the series began in 1993, those who are not moving are taking the opportunity to improve, with cheap mortgage rates helping them make this decision.

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“With the stamp duty holiday originally expected to end in March, this focused borrowers’ minds and helps explain the uplift in lending. Now that this has been extended we expect activity to continue to be brisk over coming months, particularly as mortgage rates are likely to remain low and with increased availability of high loan-to-value deals.

“The trend to save continues with households depositing an additional £16.2bn in March, despite savings rates at historically low levels. This is an encouraging trend although it will be interesting to see whether it continues to the same extent as lockdown eases further.”

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Richard Pike, sales and marketing director at Phoebus Software, added: “We’re getting used to seeing these types of figures for mortgage approvals. The stamp duty holiday lit the fire and will continue to drive the market until it comes to an end. It is good to see the housing market as buoyant as it is, but it’s also causing some consternation.

“House prices are being driven up, with estate agents reporting many buyers offering over the asking price to secure their preferred property. How sustainable this is, when lenders are tied by strict affordability guidelines, is debatable.

“If the housing market is helping to drive the nations’ recovery in an unsustainable manner, will we be generating problems further down the track? Even with 95% mortgages available again the chances for many younger people, trying to get onto the property ladder, are becoming fewer as prices spiral upwards. At the moment it looks like we’re creating an unlevel playing field, especially for first-time buyers.”

Source: Mortgage Introducer

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Bank of England: Mortgage borrowing reaches five-year high in February

Individuals secured an additional £6.2 billion in mortgage borrowing in February which is the strongest level since March 2016, the latest Bank of England (BoE) figures have revealed.

The latest data showed it was not just net borrowing which was buoyant last month, but there were also a high number of approvals.

The 87,700 approvals, although down on the peak of 103,700 in November 2020, were still well above the monthly average in the six months to February 2020, which was 67,300.

The BoE Money and Credit report for February 2021 also reported approvals for remortgages with a different lender increased slightly from 32,600 to 34,300 between January and February.

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When it came to gross borrowing the figure reached £27.7 billion which was very close the March 2016 figure of £27.9 billion.

The BoE data also revealed the ‘effective’ rate – the actual interest rates paid – on newly drawn mortgages increased by six basis points to 1.91% in February.

It said this was slightly higher than the rate in January 2020 (1.85%), and compared with a series low of 1.72% in August 2020. The rate on the outstanding stock of mortgages remained at series low (2.09%).

The BoE thought the strong borrowing figures were caused by the flurry of activity as buyers rushed to meet the original stamp duty holiday deadline of 31 March.

But John Phillips, national operations director, Just Mortgages and Spicerhaart said thought there were other influencing factors at play.

He said: “This is only part of the story. A year on from the start of the first lockdown, what is clear is that the pandemic has spurred people into action.

“Whether it is those looking to move for more outside space. Or the lack of commute meaning some are choosing to leave the city, in a year where our lives were turned upside down, priorities were shaken up.

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“With the extension to the stamp duty holiday, the reintroduction of 95% LTV mortgages and the furlough scheme running till September, the property market should keep moving at a pace and we may see records broken for the first quarter of 2021.”

Meanwhile Jonathan Sealey, CEO of specialist short term lender Hope Capital, said the figures were also testament to the hard work of everyone involved with the property and mortgage industry.

“All those involved in the sector should take credit for that, and initiatives such as virtual viewings and the introduction of new products during the lockdown, have contributed to the property market staying operational,” he said.

“It’s also been an opportunity for specialist lenders particularly who have been able demonstrate the agility and speed that sets them apart from high street lenders, in ensuring people can get their deals over the line, no matter what else is happening.”

By Kate Saines

Source: Mortgage Finance Gazette

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Mortgage borrowing remains high in January – Bank of England

Net mortgage borrowing remained at £5.2bn in January, according to the Bank of England’s Money and Credit statistics for January 2021.

This is up from the monthly average of £4bn in the six months to February 2020.

The statistics also show that there were 99,000 mortgage approvals for house purchase in January, in line with the average of 100,000 since October 2020.

In addition, effective interest rates on new mortgage borrowing fell to 1.85% in the first month of the year.

That is in line with the rate in January 2020, and compares with a series low of 1.72% in August 2020.

The rate on the outstanding stock of mortgages fell to 2.09% which is a new series low.

David Whittaker, chief executive of Keystone Property Finance, said: “Today’s statistics show that the housing market remained resilient as the New Year kicked off, with demand for property continuing to rise as people take advantage of low interest rates and the stamp duty holiday.

“However, it’s clear that mortgage transactions are beginning to slow as the impact of the third national lockdown on consumer confidence and uncertainty about the future of the stamp duty holiday takes hold.

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“In addition, while demand for property has remained strong, data shows that the supply of new property has decreased since the beginning of the year.

“As well as navigating this unprecedented market, buy-to-let borrowers have an added challenge of dealing with recent and upcoming regulatory changes.

“As such, the value of advice for landlords cannot be understated.

“The role of mortgage brokers has never been more important in helping landlords understand this shifting landscape and find the right mortgage for them and their individual circumstances.”

Joshua Elash, director of property lender MT Finance, added: “There is an astounding level of liquidity in the market at a time when the economy itself is in a state of partial paralysis. It is unusual and feels dysfunctional.

“Consumer borrowing is down, as lockdown continues to bite into people’s ability to go out, shop, and enjoy the things in life we usually take for granted.

“This new reality has meant that households continue to deposit savings at remarkable levels, given that interest rates are at historically low levels.

“Net mortgage borrowing is also robust, encouraged by the stamp duty holiday and effective interest rates as low as 1.85%.

“With the Chancellor rumoured to be rolling out a mortgage guarantee scheme, which will see the return of higher loan-to-value deals, this trend will continue, leading to serious inflation in property prices.”

Islay Robinson, group chief executive of Enness Global Mortgages, said: “These latest mortgage approval numbers highlight a market at its most buoyant in the month of January since before the financial crisis of thirteen years ago.

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“Activity is far higher than normal levels and this has no doubt been driven by the current stamp duty holiday.

“Homebuyers are shrugging off any fears of a pandemic property decline in their rush to secure a stamp duty free purchase.

“This frenzy looks likely to continue until summer, given Rishi Sunak’s potential pending announcement of an extension via Wednesday’s budget.

“The question for sellers, estate agents and mortgage brokers is, ‘what happens once the levy is reinstated?’

“We may be about to take a step back from the cliff-edge should the stamp duty holiday be extended.

“However, this is only prolonging the inevitable and, if anything, will only steepen the gradient of any potential market decline.

“We should perhaps make the best of these ‘sunny days’ whilst we can before another stamp duty deadline countdown leaves us teetering on the edge once again.”

Iain McKenzie, chief executive of the guild of property professionals, added: “Despite January traditionally being a slower month for purchasing a home, these figures show the stampede to buy property before the stamp duty holiday ends.

“It is good news for the wider economy that there is still interest in moving up the property ladder and consumer confidence in mortgages is still robust.

“Consumers are also repaying debts at an incredible rate, which can be partly ascribed to the savings that many employees are making by working from home.

“However, this could also indicate a lack of confidence in how the economy will fare this year, as people are choosing to pay down debts rather than spending the extra cash.

“Interest rates on mortgages are some of the lowest we’ve seen in a long time, and this could be another strong year for the housing market.”

By Jake Carter

Source: Mortgage Introducer

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BoE: July mortgage borrowing up £0.3bn month-on-month

In July, households borrowed a net additional £2.7bn secured on their homes, according to the BoE Money and Credit report.

This was up on the £2.4bn in June, but below the average of £4.2bn in the six months to February 2020.

The increase reflected a slight increase in gross borrowing to £17.4bn in July, below the pre-COVID February level of £23.7bn and consistent with the recent weakness in mortgage approvals.

The number of mortgage approvals for house purchase continued recovering in July, reaching 66,300, up from 39,900 in June.

Approvals were 10% below the February level of 73,700, but more than seven times higher than the trough of 9,300 in May.

Approvals for remortgage were little changed compared to June, at 36,000; they remained 30% lower than in February.

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The effective rates on new and outstanding mortgages were little changed in July.

New mortgage rates were 1.73%, a decrease of 4 basis points on the month, while the interest rate on the stock of mortgage loans fell 1 basis point to 2.15% in July.

Hugh Wade-Jones, managing director of Enness Global Mortgages, said: “The latest rate of mortgage approvals is really quite astonishing given the dire position of the market just a few short months ago.

“There is no doubt that the huge surge of buyer demand seen once the market reopened has been seriously turbo-charged due to the stamp duty holiday announced shortly after, with the combination of both causing buyers to return to the market at mass.

“As a result, we’ve seen the number of people approved for a mortgage rebound from the depths of pandemic paralysis in May to hit almost the same levels as this time last year in just two months, with the current trajectory sure to return the market to pre-lockdown levels in no time.

“The rate of this return to form really shouldn’t be underestimated and these notably heightened levels of buyer demand should prove just the medicine for the UK property market, reversing any pandemic decline in house price growth seen during lockdown.”

Gareth Lewis, commercial director of MT Finance, said: “There are positive signs indicating plenty of consumer confidence out there as people are borrowing money.

“There are more ‘for sale’ and ‘sold’ signs springing up, and even tales of gazumping.

“August’s numbers will show even more of an uptick in transactions once the stamp duty holiday starts to filter through to the figures.

“While July’s numbers show an improvement on June, they would have been better still if transactions weren’t taking so long.

“Lenders still have staff furloughed or working from home, and it is taking them too long to process applications.

“This isn’t going to change for a while yet as they don’t have the capacity to bring everyone back to the office.

“With many surveyors only just coming back off furlough as well, this is having a negative impact on turnaround times.”

Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, said: “Mortgage approval numbers always provide a useful lead indicator of direction of travel for the property market in the coming months.

“Unfortunately, these figures relate to the period when we were emerging from lockdown but before the full benefit of the stamp duty holiday was being felt.

“Contact with mortgage brokers or lenders is not always the first thought of aspiring buyers.

“As a result, these approvals do not reflect the stronger upsurge we noticed across most property types and price ranges from the beginning of August.”

By Jessica Bird

Source: Mortgage Introducer

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UK mortgage approvals jump as political uncertainty eases

Mortgage approvals have risen to their highest level since February 2016, data published by the Bank of England on Monday showed.

The central bank said there were 70,888 mortgage approvals for house purchase in January, a 4.4% improvement on December’s figure and the highest for 47 months. It was also comfortably above analyst expectations for around 68,000.

Remortgage rates also grew, by 3.9% to 52,100.

Net mortgage borrowing by households, which lags approvals, was £4.0bn, slightly below the £4.3bn six-month average. The annual growth rate for mortgage borrowing remained at 3.4%.

Howard Archer, chief economic advisor to the EY Item Club, said: “The data very much fuels the view that the housing market is currently benefiting markedly from increased confidence and reduced uncertainties following December’s general election.

“A stream of recent data and surveys suggest that the housing market has shifted up a gear after a lacklustre 2019, with particular softness around the third quarter.

“Certainly there is compelling evidence that the housing market has benefited from increased optimism and reduced uncertainties following December’s decisive general election, as well as a greater near-term clarity on Brexit.

“We had been expecting the housing market to continue to benefit in the near term from reduced uncertainties, but it is possible that concerns and uncertainties over the coronavirus outbreak could have an impact.

“We currently expect house prices to 3% over 2020.”

Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: “The effective interest rate on all new mortgages dropped to 1.85%, from 1.88% in December, remaining well below the effective rate on the outstanding stock. As a result, the refinancing tailwind to growth in household’s disposable incomes remains on track to strengthen modestly this year. Lower mortgage rates also have underpinned the recover in house purchase mortgage approvals in January.”

The Bank also reported on Monday that the annual growth rate of consumer credit – defined as credit used by consumers to buy goods and services – remained at 6.1% in January. That represented growth of £1.2bn, above both the average seen over the last six months and the consensus, both of which were £1.0bn. The Bank said the rate was “stabilising after the downward trend seen over past three years”.

By Abigail Townsend

Source: ShareCast