What are your repayment plans?

What are your repayment plans?

12:54 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago 58

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Are mortgage lenders having a campaign to ask interest only mortgage borrowers “what are your repayment plans?”

In the last 24 hours I have been contacted by two people, with different mortgage lenders, both telling me a very similar and disturbing story.

The first was my plumber, he popped around to see me yesterday. He has a relatively small interest only mortgage with Bank of Scotland secured against his home. The mortgage has 5 years to run which will take him to age 60. He had been contacted the day before by Bank of Scotland who advised him they were recording the conversation and took him through security before asking him how he intended to repay his mortgage. This alone made him nervous! The purpose of the call was to establish how he was going to repay the mortgage in 5 years time. The reason he popped around to see me is that he felt quite intimidated because he didn’t know what to say to the bank and wondered whether he ought to refinance? However, he’s paying 1% over bank base rate and it would uneconomical to change. Is this what the bank wanted him to do? What are your repayment plans?

I asked him why he felt intimidated and what his plans are. He told the bank he didn’t know how he was going to repay the mortgage and made his excuses to get off the phone. When he had the time to reflect on the discussion he realised that what he had told the bank might trigger the alarm bells and became worried about what happen next.

He gave me the true picture which seemed perfectly feasible. The truth is that he has several options but hasn’t decided which to take. That sounded perfectly feasible to me so I asked him what his options are. He said …

  1. Downsize
  2. Sell up and live abroad
  3. Refinance

I said “so what’s wrong with that?”.

He said he felt under pressure to provide a definitive answer as the bank only seemed focussed on increasing his payments to a level whereby his mortgage would be cleared within 5 years. mmm!!!

This morning I received a readers letter from a lady who is a residential borrower of Mortgages Express. The scenario she described was very similar but she is worried because she also has several buy to let mortgages on an interest only basis with Mortgage Express.

I would be very interested to hear from anybody who has experienced something similar recently. Please leave a comment below and let me know which lender you were contacted by and whether your loans are personal mortgages on your home or BTL’s. I would also like to know what the outstanding term is because both people who have contacted me to share their stories have said their mortgages have 5 years to run.

I’m wondering whether these stories are pure coincidence in their similarities and timing or whether the mortgage industry have somehow colluded or been instructed to make these calls by their regulators and/or professional bodies.

My response to a call of this nature would be that “I have several options and will let you know which I decide to take in due course”. If the mortgage lender asked me to spell out what those options are my response would be “sorry, I don’t think that’s any of your business. However, what I will say is that I have always honoured my contract with you and intend to continue to do so”.

Over to you ….


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Comments

Andy Bell

14:03 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

I thought I had a fool proof 2 point plan, as I've still got 10+years it might come back on track.

Plan A. Rely on asset value increasing and inflation over the term to make refinancing or paying them off relatively easy.
Plan B. Currently in play: work like a dog, live frugally, save every shilling I can whilst tracker rates and inflation are low.

West Brom told me I should have a plan in place, highly irresponsible of them them to try and scupper plan B!

If they rang me I would certainly have plenty to tell them.

14:04 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Vanessa Warwick" at "06/12/2013 - 13:46":

I don't agree. If a client/customer is responsible enough to get a mortgage in the first place then they should be equally responsible enough to know how many years are left.

And are you trying to suggest the banks have now become a financial counsellor? These are loaded questions and as the customer you are not able to ascertain the bank's motive. I agree with Mark - "I have made my payments up to now and will continue to do so in the future".

Shakeel Ahmad

14:44 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Most people who are being contacted are the ones who are on a Bank of England tracker mortgages e.g. 0.65% or 0.95%.

Apparently, the Banks are losing money on these types of mortgages, my heart bleeds for them.

Some of the forum users will be aware that BOS use to have a cheque book mortgage where the mortgage holder could write a cheque and withdraw funds up to the agreed limit, normally 75% LTV. This with drawl came with a 1% above BOE rate.

BOS had cancelled/withdrawn cheque book facilities where they realised that the mortgage holder has a large equity & they could withdraw hundreds of thousands at 1% above BOE. Different reasons/excuses were given including non availability of a plan to pay off the of capital.

Strangely, the Banks expect that along with other repayment methods they will accept an endowment. Most callers have not heard of endowment miss selling.

user_ 1346

14:46 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Obfuscated Data

Shakeel Ahmad

14:55 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Of course it make sense to make an over payment. However if you need funds for an emergency will any one lend you and if they did by the time they get around to it the emergency may have passed ? This will nicely push one into the arms of the unregulated lenders which in turn will spoil your credit record etc, etc.

Besides, as part of tax planning/IHT it is better to have outstanding/liability and while one is on this planet enjoy the access to cash.

I appreciate that circumstances and view points are different in each case.

Chris Amis

14:59 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

I have one of these nice trackers on my residential mortgage, I got a delightful begging letter from the BS.

They thought I would like to convert my 1% IO mortgage to a 2 year 4% fixed repayment mortgage and pay a couple of thousand for the privilege.

I did not bite their hand off 🙂

I am sure they were careful with that to step around the advice rules, but on the phone I would not be surprised if they stepped over the line.

For personal purposes you are free to record phone calls (skype is good for this), and you do not even need to tell them [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/consumer/advice/faqs/prvfaq3.htm].

It gets a bit tricky on BTL, I say it is a personal investment, but others say it is a business.

Still it is a good way to get rid of them, if you ask to record the conversation I expect they will not continue.

Crhis

user_ 1346

15:01 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Obfuscated Data

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

15:04 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "shakeel ahmad" at "06/12/2013 - 14:55":

For borrowers paying 1% over base it makes no financial sense whatsoever to overpay when they can get a 3% return on your money by depositing it elsewhere.
.

Mark Smith Head of Chambers Cotswold Barristers

15:49 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

This could easily be a strategy to call in io mortgages (particularly trackers) when the borrower is not able to pass some newly devised criteria.

Lenders will rarely call out of the goodness of their hearts; the information you give will always have some relevance to your account, their plans for it, and their strategic aims. Their duty first and last is to themselves and their shareholders, not their borrowers.

17:11 PM, 6th December 2013, About 11 years ago

we have had 2 such approaches - both in writing with enclosed forms for completion. One was from NRAM and the other concerned 2 mortgages with Cheltenahm & Gloucester. None of the loans are close to the end of term. I replied to all 3 (keeping copies). I told NRAM we have several options and listed them. I told C&G that it is our plan that those 2 properties will be sold well before the term end so that the loans can be paid off at that time

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