According to a financial information site, average fixed mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels in recent weeks or months as lenders adjust to shifting market conditions.
Moneyfacts reported that the average two-year fixed homeowner mortgage rate stood at 5.63 per cent on Monday morning, up from 5.60 per cent on Friday. That is the highest figure the service has recorded since 10 August. The average five-year fixed homeowner rate also rose, from 5.64 per cent on Friday to 5.68 per cent on Monday morning, the highest average level since 11 May.
Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, pointed to inflationary concerns stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. She said: "The pricing margins among major lenders are under pressure due to renewed volatility in the swap rate market, so it is somewhat inevitable for them to adjust rates." She added: "The recent uplift in swap rates has started to filter into the pricing of fixed-rate mortgages, with more moves expected in the coming days. Swap rates are much higher than they were a month ago and are a key influence on how lenders price their fixed-rate mortgages. Lenders look at margins very carefully, so it would be unwise to price their deals too low, if the expectations are for interest rates to rise, even if over the short-term." However, Ms Springall added that the impact on the mortgage market in recent days "pales in comparison to when the conflict in the Middle East began," when many lenders pulled fixed-rate deals.
The Moneyfacts figures came as Lloyds said on Monday that the average UK house price fell annually in August, the first year-on-year decrease since November 2023. Lloyds recorded a 0.4 per cent average annual drop in property values in August. On a monthly basis, house prices fell by 0.2 per cent, following a 0.1 per cent decrease in July. Lloyds said it expects the market to remain fairly subdued in the months ahead, although it added that this will likely only have a limited impact on house prices.
Nicholas Mendes, mortgage technical manager at John Charcol, said: "What is notable now is not one lender making an isolated move, but a growing number beginning to reprice in the same direction. That is largely lenders catching up with what has already happened in the wholesale market." He added: "Competition remains strong and lenders still want to write business, but the margin available to keep undercutting one another is becoming tighter. That makes further selective increases over the coming days more likely if swaps remain where they are." Mr Mendes said: "For buyers, the risk is that the rate they have based their budget around disappears while they are still looking for a property. An agreement in principle does not reserve a mortgage product, so buyers should get affordability checked properly, leave some room in the monthly budget and be ready to submit the full application once an offer is accepted."
