SVR hikes will cost mortgage borrowers £300m, says Which?

Co-operative Bank, Halifax and Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks all increase their SVRs today, with Which? estimating it will cost consumers an additional £300m in mortgage repayments over the next year.

The Co-operative Bank is raising its standard variable mortgage rate by 0.5%, from 4.24% to 4.74%, while Halifax is increasing its SVR from 3.5% to 3.99%, and Yorkshire and Clydesdale Banks from 4.59% to 4.95%.

Research from Which? reveals 70% of mortgage-holders are concerned about an increase in interest rates.  

Some 14% say they are already struggling with repayments. The greatest impact of these latest rises will be felt by mortgage prisoners who are unable to move to another provider.

Three quarters of mortgage-holders say they would be affected if their repayments increased by £50 a month, with 41% saying they would need to cut back on regular spending, 20% would need to reducing savings and 11% would not have enough for essentials.

An increase of £100 a month would see 20% of mortgage-holders not having enough for daily essentials like food and 11% being unable to pay their mortgage. Consumers also highlighted the emotional impact of increases in mortgage repayments, describing them as “devastating” and “a disaster”.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, says: “Our advice to anyone struggling with their mortgage repayments is speak to your lender straight away.  It is encouraging that a third of people we spoke to had approached their lender but worryingly in one in five cases, they said their lenders offered no help at all. This is just not good enough and we want to see banks do more to help their customers who are struggling.

“These SVR rises are the consequence of the lack of competition in the market and the failure of the government to take action to promote competition. This is why the new financial regulator, the FCA, needs to be a watchdog not a lapdog. It must stand up for consumers and stand up to the banks.”

Which? wants lenders and the Financial Services Authority to do more to protect consumers against unjustified interest rate rises and ensure that consumers are offered the ability to fix their payments at a reasonable level.