Mortgage lenders to scrap affordability checks.
Mortgage lenders to scrap affordability checks.
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Aiminghigh123

Original Poster:

2,894 posts

98 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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Wow!!!

Thoughts on this?

I know banks holding a lot of cash right now. Need to keep it moving is my guess.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/20/u...

rdjohn

7,156 posts

224 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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…and what was the cause of the Financial Crisis? NINJAS

There used to be a term “Banker’s nous” now replaced with check boxes so the computer can say “NO”, but with a tweak to the algorithm, it will now be allowed it to say “YES”.

Retail banking has gone completely bonkers.

p1doc

3,774 posts

213 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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scarey!!
any views sarnie?

Mr Whippy

32,453 posts

270 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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BofE tells banks to take more risks.

BofE tells banks they’re not TBTF any more.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bank-of-england...

Double speak?

Or are banks going to be the patsy for the/a looming housing crash…?
BofE/UK Gov said:
Oh it was the nasty banks, we said they can lend but they didn’t want to
It’s this whole confidence thing again. The wheels are about to come off.

Eric Mc

125,607 posts

294 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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As one gets older one realises that nobody ever learns anything.

C Lee Farquar

4,228 posts

245 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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It seems quite reasonable for people to assess their own ability to repay.

CAH706

2,200 posts

193 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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C Lee Farquar said:
It seems quite reasonable for people to assess their own ability to repay.
Yes, before they apply

The banks should then check as well as some people will be clueless on their affordability and some people will be fraudulent

LordHaveMurci

12,336 posts

198 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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C Lee Farquar said:
It seems quite reasonable for people to assess their own ability to repay.
rofl

anonymous-user

83 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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C Lee Farquar said:
It seems quite reasonable for people to assess their own ability to repay.
I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that is sarcasm.

Panamax

9,586 posts

63 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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The problem with "affordability" testing has been that the tests don't make any sense. They're far too rigid and derive from a mandated tick box approach. Lots of people are being turned down from mortgages they can easily afford. In this regard relaxing the rules makes a great deal of sense.

Whether banks will be able to break with tradition and behave in a sensible fashion is another question entirely.

dundarach

6,211 posts

257 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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richardxjr

7,561 posts

239 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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Panamax said:
The problem with "affordability" testing has been that the tests don't make any sense. They're far too rigid and derive from a mandated tick box approach. Lots of people are being turned down from mortgages they can easily afford. In this regard relaxing the rules makes a great deal of sense.

Whether banks will be able to break with tradition and behave in a sensible fashion is another question entirely.
I was considering an IO from Coventry. Some sensible hoops like no consolidation, max 50% ltv and min £300k equity ... but affordability is assessed the same as for a repayment product.


Edited by richardxjr on Tuesday 21st June 13:18

okgo

42,095 posts

227 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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I see you can get 5.5x salary too if you earn enough, could be some lumpy mortgages coming out soon before the rates get too out of hand...

Chamon_Lee

3,948 posts

176 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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okgo said:
I see you can get 5.5x salary too if you earn enough, could be some lumpy mortgages coming out soon before the rates get too out of hand...
I have actually heard from a broker that apparently it can go worst than that, even 6 or 7 times. when I asked how is that even possible he said that they look at the persons career, so if they are a doctor or surgeon they know they are very likely to be earning much more very quickly so happy to give out extreme multiples from the beginning.

Blows my mind to be honest but I generally hate too much debt anyway, I have seen first hand the damage it can do many times over.

Stella Tortoise

3,153 posts

172 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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It's a bit of a non story really.

The stress tests were alongside the loan to income restrictions, there was probably no need for both and the stress test has been stopped.

This in itself is unlikely to cause much of a ripple.

croyde

26,312 posts

259 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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Panamax said:
The problem with "affordability" testing has been that the tests don't make any sense. They're far too rigid and derive from a mandated tick box approach. Lots of people are being turned down from mortgages they can easily afford. In this regard relaxing the rules makes a great deal of sense.

Whether banks will be able to break with tradition and behave in a sensible fashion is another question entirely.
True.

I fail the affordability test as I still help towards the mortgage on the ex marital home.

Yet I somehow manage to pay £1500 a month to rent a pokey flat, and have done for 8 years now.

pavarotti1980

6,320 posts

113 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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The affordability checks were a bit of a nightmare.

One of my admin members of staff was renting a 2 bed house (something like £600pcm in North East). The landlord wanted to sell up and offered them the opportunity to purchase it without it going on the market. The duly agreed and applied to get a mortgage. Turned down based on "affordability" checks as the lender felt the £300-£250pcm mortgage was not affordable. They still didn't accept that it being half of the rental payment was a good enough reason to approve and they only way they would offer them a mortgage was with a 30% deposit instead of 15%. They couldn't raise the extra so lost out on the house and had to move out when the landlord sold up.

I would imagine this story is replicated up and down the country on a regular basis so adjusting the approval process to allow common sense would only be a good thing not foregoing the fact the common sense is still removed at when receiving the application

croyde

26,312 posts

259 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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It's odd as I'm subjected to an affordability check when I rent but it must be far more lenient than the mortgage lenders one.

I suppose it has to be to allow the landlords to charge so much smile

K50 DEL

9,723 posts

257 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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pavarotti1980 said:
The affordability checks were a bit of a nightmare.

One of my admin members of staff was renting a 2 bed house (something like £600pcm in North East). The landlord wanted to sell up and offered them the opportunity to purchase it without it going on the market. The duly agreed and applied to get a mortgage. Turned down based on "affordability" checks as the lender felt the £300-£250pcm mortgage was not affordable. They still didn't accept that it being half of the rental payment was a good enough reason to approve and they only way they would offer them a mortgage was with a 30% deposit instead of 15%. They couldn't raise the extra so lost out on the house and had to move out when the landlord sold up.

I would imagine this story is replicated up and down the country on a regular basis so adjusting the approval process to allow common sense would only be a good thing not foregoing the fact the common sense is still removed at when receiving the application
My sister's been stuck in this situation for 20 years now.
Doesn't earn enough to save the level of deposit she'd need in order to be able to buy around here yet manages to pay substantially more in rent each month and has done so for all that time.

The system is (partially) broken and has been for a long time but there are too many people with vested interests in keeping the rental market high I think.

Ari

19,814 posts

244 months

Tuesday 21st June 2022
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Eric Mc said:
As one gets older one realises that nobody ever learns anything.
Absolutely!

I remember well the aftermath of the Nineties recession and property crash. 'They'll never let bank lending get so out of hand again' wise heads intoned.

And again after the 2009 crash... biggrin