Abbey National is bringing a 10 year fixed rate mortgage to the market this week aimed at bringing peace of mind to buyers concerned about changing interest rates.
Recent studies have shown that longer period fixed rate mortgages are more popular with consumers, the 5 year versus 3 year fixed rate options proving this point very well. The move by Abbey National to bring in a 10 year fixed rate option is hoped to win more buyers over to the idea, especially as the interest rate is just 6.24 percent. There is an initial fee of GBP999 but this still represents excellent value whilst providing the security that homebuyers crave.
This longer period has impressed industry commentators too since it is expected that Abbey National mortgage customers taking out this option will not be left to face dramatically higher interest rates when the term ends, which is what is happening right now as the plethora of 2 year fixed rate mortgages come to an end.
According to new research many homeowners are not taking an active role in understanding and managing their mortgage.It has become clear that many homeowners do not understand the fundamentals of their mortgage and this is stopping them to achieving savings.Many homeowners tend to forget about their mortgage deal and just see it as a one off purchase to aid in them buying a property. But they are in fact missing out on saving a lot of money by not taking a more active role to learn and understand fully about mortgages. Research found that a large majority of mortgage payers did not even know what interest rate they were currently paying on their mortgage deal. This lack of interest by these homeowners could cost them a fortune in years to come if they do not take more interest in their finances. Knowing when to switch mortgages deals at the right time to get a lower rate of interest can save homeowners thousands of pounds. See our mortgage comparison table for more information or our guides and tips pages.
Halifax has just announced the eighth cut in their mortgage rates this year, with almost half of their mortgage products having their interest rates reduced by up to 0.15 percent.
A typical example is the Halifax 5 year fixed rate mortgage which comes down from a 6.49 percent interest rate to 6.34 percent. The Halifax has also cut fees on some of its products, with the recently introduced stepped tracker mortgage having GBP200 cut off the fee.
The mortgage market is seeing all manner of fluctuations right now, with the base rate and general economic climate leading mortgage providers to look at different ways to get customers on board. The Halifax is doing what it can by cutting rates and fees where they can and are hopeful that demand will increase on the back of them.