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First-time Buyer

Number of small deposit mortgage deals halve overnight

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
12/06/2020

The number of 90% loan to value (LTV) mortgages on the market for low deposit holders fell by almost half in one day this week.

According to data from Moneyfacts, 95% LTV deals have also dropped by a quarter since the middle of lockdown, with 29 being available on 10 June compared to 41 on 1 May.

However, the biggest fall has been in the 90% sector.

On 8 June there were 191 deals at this level, but a day later just 104 remained with 87, or 45%, having been withdrawn overnight.

The total rebounded slightly to 118 on 10 June, but the figures serve to highlight the severity of the change in the market.

This drop took the availability back down to levels seen in the middle of the lockdown, where there were just 100 90% LTV deals on 1 May.

The table below shows the full numbers:

The dwindling numbers echoes those lenders that left the market over the last week, citing a deluge in demand and wanting to preserve their service quality.

However, the Moneyfacts data also showed that 85% LTV deals have recovered significantly since the lockdown measures were eased in England as lenders have rebuilt their operations.

During June they have actually increased from 318 on 8 June to 338 on 10 June, and this in turn is 63 per cent higher than the 208 active on 1 May.

Challenging situations

Brokers have reported that lenders are facing challenging situations with staff shortages due to furlough, social distancing and a lack of homeworking options.

There are also pre-lockdown backlogs and lenders could also be concerned about the potential impacts of a substantial house price fall affecting loan books.

But advisers have also urged lenders to return to the market to help prevent that becoming a self-fulfilling approach by restricting the number of borrowers available to buy properties.