Nationally, mortgage rates are increasing, while Barclays is cutting two-year interest rates
- The broader direction of interest rates remains uncertain
Two major mortgage lenders are repricing their mortgage rates, but in different directions.
Nationwide Building Society says it will increase fixed rates by up to 0.15 percentage points from tomorrow. Meanwhile, Barclays will cut some of its home loan prices.
Nationwide currently has the cheapest five-year rate at 3.79 percent, which could qualify for an increase to 3.94 percent.
The move by Britain’s largest building society comes as no surprise to mortgage brokers, who believe they will try to reduce demand for their products to avoid being swamped with applications.
Two major mortgage lenders are repricing their mortgage rates, but in different directions
Elliott Benson, owner at Sett Mortgages, said: ‘Nationwide has long been a leader in lower rates, and sometimes a lender needs to increase slightly to maintain their service levels.’
Barclays’ changes represent the first major price cuts by a major lender since the start of the month.
It will reduce rates for various fixed-rate products by as much as 0.26 percentage points.
It marks a break from rising mortgage rates in recent weeks, with banks including Santander, TSB, NatWest, Halifax and Barclays raising home loan costs.
Barclays has focused most of its cuts on two-year interest rates, which are currently in higher demand among borrowers.
Last week, Santander revealed that 60 percent of customers are currently opting for two-year fixed-rate mortgages, hoping that rates will be lower when they take out a new mortgage in two years.
Less than a quarter of customers choose products with a five-year fixed rate, even though they are currently cheaper. The rest usually opt for three- or ten-year fixes, or trackers.
From tomorrow, Barclays’ lowest two-year fix will be reduced from 4.1 per cent to 3.99 per cent, with a product fee of £899. This is for those who buy with a minimum 40 per cent deposit.
Those who commit for two years with a 25 per cent deposit will see the best rate available from Barclays drop from 4.3 per cent to 4.12 per cent.
Elliott Culley, director of Switch Mortgage Finance, said: “This is the first sign that the rate hikes of two weeks ago are starting to be reversed.
‘Barclays is phasing out products with a lower loan-to-value value, the products that previously suffered most from the increases.
“There is a sense of turning back the clock as recent increases have been just a blip and borrowers should have regained confidence as a result of these changes.”
What does the Budget mean for mortgages?
Barclays’ recent rate cuts across its mortgage products come at a crucial time, following weeks of budget speculation and changes to home loan pricing.
Mortgage brokers were happy with the news. Justin Moy, managing director at EHF Mortgages, told news agency Newspage: ‘Borrowers with larger deposits looking for shorter-term deals will be pleased to see sub-4 per cent back options available for purchases, while refinancing is still is not a million kilometers behind.
‘Will this all change after the budget this week? This week is going to be a potential rollercoaster ride, so get your fares while you can, just in case.”
There are not expected to be many mortgage or property related announcements during the Budget.
However, depending on how financial markets react to Rachel Reeves’ announcements, this could have implications for interest rates.