The best place to start with this is back in the 80s and 90s. That is when Interest-only mortgages were most popular. They were popular simply because they were cheaper than the more standard capital and repayment mortgages.
Take a £100,000 mortgage over 25 years at a rate of 5%, for example. If a borrower took this out on an interest-only basis, it would cost £417 each month compared to £585 on a capital and repayment basis, saving £168 each month. Remember that mortgage rates were much higher in the 80s and 90s. In Oct 89, they peaked at 14.88%. So, any opportunity to bring those payments down was well received, and interest-only payments became a popular option.
Simply put, there was poor advice on the part of the lenders and not enough action by borrowers.
For the most part, lenders were promoting interest-only mortgages as a very safe option for borrowers based on the growth of property prices. Taking out a mortgage of £100,000 on a property valued at around £110,000 over 25 years was being marketed on the basis that by the time that 25 year term was at an end, the property would be valued signficantly higher.
Many were told the property value would be high enough that they would be able to sell it, repay the £100,000 owed to the lender and have enough left over to buy something smaller and have no mortgage on that new property.
That is indeed what happened to many. Unfortunately though for many others it didnt. Some would be able to repay their mortgage but not afford anything else. For others there wasnt even enough to repay the mortgage.
There is no doubt many borrowers were misled at the time. But, for many, this came to light early enough during the mortgage term that something could have been done. Switching to a more standard capital and interest mortgage or making overpayments to reduce the £100,000 balance as much as possible. Many didn't do that and instead focussed on blaming the lender and taking no action, expecting lenders to "fix it".
As at the end of 2022 there were 702,000 interest-only mortgages in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority has suggested that about 50% of those borrowers may be too optimistic about their ability to repay the mortgage when it comes. Research suggests around 82% of respodents were confident they could repay, with 36% expecting some shortall. Modelling puts that nearer 46%.
Yes. Most lenders still offer them, although they are generally restricted to those with higher incomes. Barclays for example require a borrower to have a minimum income of £75k or joint incomes of at least £100k. Likely looking for higher income earners who can overpay than wait for the mortgage term and hope there is enough to repay. Also, the expectation is that their income will continue to increase and therefore in a much better financial position to deal with a potential shortfall.
Other lenders offer interest-only to borrowers who earn less than the above but with a catch. They will assess mortgage affordability as a capital and interest mortgage over 25 years. This is to ensure that a borrower could afford the mortgage on that basis and are not simply opting for interest-only as they can't afford it any other way.
In addition, all lenders are now much more driven to check with borrowers to see whether they are on track. Contact will be made with clients at points throughout the mortgage term and where appropriate alternative options are discussed if there is any concern.
So, they are still available but not as readily available as they once were.
You will not be surprised when I say it depends!
I come across many borrowers whose circumstances differ. Here is a couple of examples.
Lenders who offer interest-only will disclose what they consider to be acceptable ways to repay the capital.
Lee Wisener, CeMAP, CeRER, CeFAP
Having worked in the mortgage industry for over 20 years I have always wanted to build a website dedicated to the subject. Also being a geek when it comes to the internet all I needed was time and I could both build the site from scratch and fill it with content. This is it!
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