Batten down hatches for the debt storm by Finance News Bulletin

Published: 12/12/07

Warning signs are irregular, costs are up, house prices are down and homeowners should support themselves for a rocky rideThe manufacturing has issued a grim warning on mortgage lending What does it denote for you Editor's commentGet an idea of some of the best mortgage interest rates on the market with our tables >> Mortgage ratesNext year will be a tough one for many homeowners, especially those coming off temporary mortgage deals

The puff up of bad debt in the banking division that brought Northern Rock to its knees refuses to dissipate and could get worse, meaning banks and building societies will be less willing to offer cheap loanshome prices have started to slide and consumer confidence in the financial system is at its lowly for four yearsThe Financial Services Authority has warned that up to 14m borrowers coming off cheap, two-year set rate deals in the coming months are susceptible to the shock of higher mortgage costs and tightened lending criteria

in spite of a quarter-point base speed cut by the Bank of England on Thursday, many lenders will delay transitory on this saving or not reproduce this fully in their new mortgage ratesAnd the best two-year fixed speed deals are now about one percentage point senior than two years ago - 54% compared with 45% - adding almost £60 to monthly repayments on a £100,000 mortgage with 25 years to run

For borrowers looking for a novel deal but who have a poor credit history, the picture is even bleaker They are faced with a mixture of punitive interest rates and tighter lending criteria Many lenders are insisting that borrowers have at least 25% evenhandedness in their house compared with 15% equity this time last yearKensington Mortgages, based in interpretation, Berkshire, a specialist in the sub-prime market, has closed its books to new commerce

In some cases borrowers with deprived credit could find it impossible to refinance their home loansRay Boulger at agent John Charcol in middle London says borrowers should not panic 'Only those with adverse credit are having difficulty remortgaging to a spirited contract,' he says'That's not to say the market won't be tougher next year

All borrowers coming off particular deals should brace themselves to pay more But there will still be abundance of good fixed and tracker deals available'Borrowers coming to the end of a mortgage deal in the first half of 2008 should start thinking now about their next move It is vital for homeowners, particularly those with praise problems, to act near the beginning and get advice from an independent broker who can search the whole of the mortgage market for new loans

Bath, Somerset, suggests talking to your there lender first, as this will give you something to compare new mortgage offers against'If it can offer you a sensible deal it is worth considering, particularly as staying income there won't be any need for a novel valuation of your property or credit checks,' he says'But the bulk of borrowers should not have any difficulty switching to any deal in the marketplace if they want to take advantage of the best tax'Most mortgage deals can be reserved for up to three months and some for up to six months

But Boulger says: ' Borrowers who want fixed tax and can afford to wait could get a better deal if interest tax are slash again in the first few months of next year'Darragh O'Hare, 32, who mechanism in human resources, and his partner, social servant Lyndsey White, 27, have just remortgaged to a ten-year fixed-rate deal to protect themselves from economic doubtStenhouse, Edinburgh, for £120,000 they took out a fixed-rate mortgage for £112,000 at 45% with store of Scotland

But when the fix came to an end, BoS could offer set rates only at close to seven per cent'We required to fix again for payment safety, but the deal offered by our existing lender was too expensive,' says Darragh 'We were a small piece concerned at first, but after using a broker we found a ten-year set rate at 595% with Co-op Bank

' The loan is transferable if the couple move houseThere are other ways borrowers can keep their mortgage costs under manage For those in real difficulty, rising the term of the mortgage or switching to an interest-only loan will transport down monthly payments But doing this will increase the amount of interest borrowers pay back in the long word

Going 'interest-only' should only ever be considered as a last resort and borrowers should switch back to a refund loan as soon as possible, in case they risk not being able to pay off their mortgage at the end of the wordHollingworth says: 'All borrowers should consider overpaying on their loan Even if tax fall again next year borrowers must understand that there has been a sea change in the mortgage market and should get ready by receiving their finances in shapeI am a muppet who retired to Spain

Yes we have cheaper accommodation etc But we are recurring to the UK after 3 years Cheap expenses of living does not make up for missing your relations Also what seems cheap to us ex pats is expensive to the Spanish as their pay are lower than the UK and they have the same evils i

e FTB's can't get on the housing ladder, cost of livelihood has risen, health repair has started to suffer and crime These are the things which don't get tinted in the UK when attracting people to give up work to SpainI have been a Landlord for 20 existence and never experienced anything like this market

I contract only locally (St Helens) Asking prices in estate agents have not fallen at all, but barely anyone is buying Most properties in this area that go into auction have not been selling for the last few months I recently bought 3 properties for considerably less than 'market value' - one about 50% less

The state of affairs appears to be: if you need to buy then you have to pay a price that has not fallen But if you are a forced seller - wait for about 20% less (and even then you may be unlucky)Many of my tenants have unaffordable debts, which they take out in the belief that they will never have to pay them back Experience shows that they are probably right

I fear like other goverment figures that the unemployment figures are lower than they should be They have a number of plans to make people disapear from the figures like Tax Credits, final job centers and making it harder to meet the criteria for benefitsCalm down everyone As long as levels of employment wait strong,and interest rates trend downwards, there should not be reason to be anxious about houses prices or money owing

People are mainly sensible and optimistic There's nothing high-quality nor bad than thinking makes it soMuppets who have abandoned the UK You should attempt it - cheaper housing, better healthcare, lower crime, better quality of life etc etc etc You should try it, rather than shacking up in overcrowded, crime ridden, expensive tear off Britain

The UK is a rip off due to the cheap money that has been swilling around for the last 10 years since Brown got his hands on the purse stringsConsumers have been hypnotised into believeing they are wealth as their houses are value so much (WRONG) on the whole now everyone who has been lulled into this false sense of security will have to get their families out of huge debt and ridiculous interest ratesSalaries have not gone up hugeley in the last 10 years, therefore the Debt Trap has been sprung and rather than having a pleasant little nest egg for our children we are going to have a battle to clear the money owing

ie millions of people may well pass absent in debt (Thanks Mr Brown

)Mike may not desire the Euro, along with Mr Brown, but the money markets do Who is correct Only time will tell, but I'm glad that I'm salaried in EurosThe euro is the last thing we want

That can be left for the muppets who have abandoned the UK to go and live in Europe John is totally right - people will have to study to have only what they can afford There will be some pain as lifestyles change to match income but that's lifeTough era ahead I feel ,the good times never last for ever , this situation we are faced with now could have been well avoided but the joe bloggs on the road has no manage over it apart from when election time comes ,but this credit/dept problem we have now will take some time to get back on an even keel

People will have to create living within their means and not try and exist like some of stars we see in the media day in day out,not all of them are mega wealthy and they have their split of problems like the rest of us wait within your means and you will surviveKilling genuine will be a criminal act All those who didn't get involved with the last ten years of greed will still have to disburse for the aftermath

With little manufacturing, will the UK ever really recoverThe hatches should have been battened down in imposing 2005 when the consumer debt mountain was less than 1 trillion pounds The storm will be 30% stonger now What a mess the UK financial system has got into

Its a complete shambles and the only method to reduce the 134 trillion debt mountain is to diminish the pound So much for the ending of boom and bust Big bang followed by big bust

Maybe the UK should now join the Euro, at least Mr chocolate would not be able to manipulate them as it appears he has with the BOEchoose a loan term 12 months (1 year) 24 months (2 existence 36 months (3 existence 48 months (4 existence 60 months (5 existence 72 months (6 existence 84 months (7 existence 96 months (8 existence 108 months (9 years) 120 months (10 years)Please choose a type of insurance Life insurance Home and contents Car Breakdown armed forces Health - checkup Health - dental Travel Pet - dog Pet - cat GOThinking about investing in possessions This is Money has the best buy-to-let in order and advice >> Buy-to-let

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