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Mortgage Market Review – It’s Here…

25.04.14

So here we are then, the last hours before the Mortgage Market Review comes into play and we thought it would be a good idea just to recap what to expect from tomorrow onward.

The key is around advice. Let’s face it, it was always crazy that a First Time Buyer could walk into a bank branch and come out with the biggest loan they are ever going to take out without getting any advice. So now, any mortgage transaction where human interaction is involved, face-to-face or on the telephone, must be advised.

The challenge however, will be in how each lender chooses to interpret these guidelines; positively or hiding behind them.

In essence, there are a few key points to be aware of for anyone buying a home with a mortgage over the coming months.

1. Documentation & Affordability– this is always key, but with lenders now being responsible for affordability this means they will check more documents. So, 3 to 6 months bank statements will be looked at, pay slips in all cases and budget planners extended and scrutinised. Preparing early is key.

Some budget planners we have seen show a level of detail designed to get to the heart of a borrowers spending habits. Identifying gambling, past loans, regularity of restaurant visits, expensive hobbies, child care, pension contributions, service charges and even pet costs.  These answers will be checked alongside bank statements.

The question then becomes which lenders will take which costs into account when determining the amount they will lend?

Borrowers need to start early, say 6 months before they want to apply for a loan and managing their budget accordingly, cutting out any wasteful spending or expensive habits to present the best possible picture.

This is sensible in any case as in reality most borrowers do cut out many of these activities when they have a mortgage to service and there is no harm in getting used to this early.

2. Stress tests – Although many lenders run this now, lenders officially now have to calculate affordability on a repayment basis not only on the current interest rate, but on a future assumed higher rate. This will undoubtedly cause some on the edge applicants to fail affordability scores whereas now they may scrape through.

There have been discussions around suggested interest rates for assessing long term affordability being set at 3.5% above a lenders Standard Variable Rate. Actually, it was the FCA themselves who gave the “example” of “lenders’ SVR plus the forward sterling rate a suggested measure.” Currently the forward sterling rate is over 3.5 per cent.

As one lender noted, given this is the only example the FCA gave, that is the one they will use!

As a result of this there is an expectation of higher decline rates and more loans restricted to a certain amount.

Some lenders have been running this in the background for a while however and that there will be no real difference, with at least one claiming the difference would only affect 4% of their borrowers.

As ever, the proof will undoubtedly be in the proverbial pudding.

3. New systems – as with any changes like this new systems will come in to play for many lenders and moving from an income multiple calculation to a credit scored affordability system will cause challenges for lenders.

Whenever a new system is mooted amongst lenders, especially the larger ones, one thing is certain; it rarely works first time. Whilst IT firms are licking their lips, the rest of us know that blips, issues and slowdowns are on their way to make even the most mild-mannered mortgage broker throw our laptop out of a closed window in frustration.

Although again, the good news is some lenders are more advanced than others in this and should not see too many tweaks, heads and brick walls will no doubt be needed in abundance!

4. Speed – All of this will undoubtedly cause issues and bottlenecks as lenders get to grips with this. Of course some lenders will be more ready than others but I suspect delays to occur more regularly.

Apart from the more advanced technology wise lenders, this new regime will require more checks and therefore more staff to do these checks, which all means more time and cost.

Brokers and borrowers alike will also need time to adapt to the new documentary requirements and Estate Agents will need to be aware that things may not move as quickly as they have up till now.

The good news here is that many decent brokers already work in this fashion so will be well versed and ready to adapt much quicker than those direct branch staff.

5. Approaching a lender directly – Perhaps the biggest change is the fact that anyone going direct to a bank will have to do so on an advised basis which is quite right! This means remortgaging, changing the terms of your loan, borrowing additional finance will all have to go through the elongated process that lenders just have not been used to doing.

With lenders already short of staff and struggling to train everyone up in time, going direct to a lender will undoubtedly slow down the proceedings even further. In fact, for most I would go so far as saying it will be a pointless, painful exercise, especially in the first few months of the new regime.

Things will settle of course, but this is without doubt the year of the intermediary and lenders will look to us for help and assistance.

Summary

Although there is some concern, it is important not to over-dramatise the inception of this new regime.

Of course many will be affected and there will be frustrations all round, but with careful preparation and sensible advice most of the issues can be overcome. There will be borrowers who need to scale back their ambitions, but then again, I guess that is the whole point to ensure affordability.

It will not be easy to answer the first question any prospective buyer asks when first approaching us, “How much can I borrow?” This will now depend on a myriad of factors rather than a multiplication of basic salary and borrowers would be best to book in an early meeting bringing with them their last 3 months bank statements and pay slips as a minimum as soon as possible.

With the new regime about to hit, never before has the importance of having a good independent adviser been so pronounced. Being up to date with lenders approaches to MMR, their small print and criteria, their systems and timescales as well as affordability calculators will make all the difference.

Estate Agents and Solicitors need to take note also, as changes that now materially affect the loan could cause a rescore under MMR requirements and cause serious issues.

We will all get there and the bumps in the road will flatten, but it is going to be an interesting couple of months.

Educating the public and leading expectations will be key.

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Andrew Montlake

Written by Andrew Montlake

Andrew Montlake, better known as Monty, began his journey with an Hons degree in Economics & Politics before starting in the mortgage industry in February 1994. As a main founder of Coreco in 2009, he successfully grew the brand, marketing, and communications, and was made MD in 2019 focussing on the overall vision, strategy, and culture of the company. As Coreco’s media spokesperson, Andrew can often be seen or heard on TV and radio as well as regularly commenting in the national, local, and trade press. He is the author of this acclaimed Mortgage Blog and is well-known for his social media, podcasts, and public speaking. Andrew is now proud to serve as Chairman of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries, (AMI) as a cheerleader for the Mortgage Industry as a whole and continues to work at the coal face, writing mortgage business and advising clients.

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