Posts Tagged ‘Interest Rates’

Fixed Rate Mortgages: Do The Positives Outweigh The Negatives?

Choosing a fixed rate mortgage will mean that regardless of what the Bank of England does with the base rate your mortgage payments will stay the same for the period of the fix. So, you will pay the same interest rate every month which makes budgeting a bit easier. If money is a bit tight this can be very useful.

The time frame for fixed rate mortgages can, in theory, be any length but the ones you will see most frequently are two, three or five-year terms. They can be a lot longer though. At the end of the fixed rate period your mortgage rate would then revert to the lender’s standard variable rate (SVR). It used to be the case that fixed rate mortgages were normally a little lower than the SVR but with interest rates now at record lows it is often the other way around.

Fixed rate mortgages with a fixed period of five years or less are known as short term fixes. Long term fixes are from over five years and anything up to 25 years. A mortgage which is fixed for 25 years is also known as a lifetime mortgage but these are very rare.

As a rule of thumb, the shorter the term of the fixed rate period the lower the rate is likely to be. This is because pay a premium for having the increased period of security. People like short-term fixes as they give the borrower the chance to reassess the market in the not too distant future.

The peace of mind that comes with fixed rate mortgages is the main advantage of having a one. And if the Bank of England’s base rate rises during the period you could end up saving yourself thousands of pounds. Conversely, if the base rate falls you could end up paying over the odds and might then wish you had stuck with the standard variable rate.

Other things that you need to be on the lookout for with fixed rate mortgages are the associated fees. Both arrangement fees and early repayment charges (ERCs) are often higher than with other types of mortgage. ERCs will usually apply for the entire length of the fix and can be as much as 5% of your outstanding loan. The size of the fee usually decreases in steps as time progresses.

There is a lot to consider so it is a good idea to talk to a mortgage advisor who can advise you on all the different options. Sometimes they can also get deals which can’t be got on the high street.

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How Homeowners Can Benefit From An Adverse Remortgage

It can be hard to find a lender for someone with bad credit; given the current economic climate, that should be easy to understand. Then there are people whose credit and mortgage loans have already slipped. Their credit is getting worse every day and they’re having a hard time keeping up. At lot of these mortgages have adjustable rates, which tend to be at least partially responsible for the credit problems many people face. This is where an adverse remortgage can help homeowners.
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Another term for adverse remortgage is adverse credit remortgage. The reason for this is because it is designed for people who have credit ratings that are low. This type of loan allows the homeowner to pay off the current mortgage and take out a new loan that has rates that are more favorable.

This type of refinancing is not a good idea for those with good credit because interest rates and other fees will be higher than they could get under normal refinancing plans.

People who are after an adverse remortgage are usually organized into three different categories, depending on how poor their credit is. There is the low risk group, who are only slightly behind in their payments and have no bankruptcies or judgments listed against them.

There is the medium risk group, who have had credit problems over a great length of time, have one or more judgments against them of low value, but have no bankruptcies. Everyone else is considered to be in the high risk group.

The advantage of seeking an adverse remortgage lies in the fact that financial institutions who make these kinds of loans look not only at a person’s credit score, but at how the person got into credit trouble and what steps are being taken to alleviate the problem. The primary factor is how well the person is doing at making the current payments on their existing mortgage.

Once the level of risk is ascertained, the lender will offer a loan with terms that include a fixed interest rate, usually higher than the average going rate because of the higher risk incurred. In most cases, even these higher rates will be preferable to the adjustable rate mortgage one may have now. If the loan taken out is large enough, then other debts may also be covered as well, lowering multiple payments into a single one.

Adverse remortgage financing can be very difficult to find in these days when banks are tightening up their purse strings. If you happen to have a good relationship with the bank that holds your current mortgage, it may help your chances at getting an adverse remortgage. Usually, unless you present a very significant risk to them, your bank will be very willing to help you prevent foreclosure on your property. The bank understands the current state of the housing market, and know that if they had to sell your property off, they would suffer a significant loss. These banks also understand that by allowing homeowners to take advantage of an adverse remortgage, it’s more likely that they’ll be repaid completely.

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