Commentary on Mortgage lending statistics - June 2019

The FCA and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) both have responsibility for the regulation of mortgage lenders and administrators. We jointly publish the mortgage lending statistics every quarter.

Since the beginning of 2007, around 340 regulated mortgage lenders and administrators have been required to submit a Mortgage Lending and Administration Return (MLAR) each quarter, providing data on their mortgage lending activities.

Key findings

  • The outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans was £1,451 billion in 2019 Q1, 3.4% higher than a year earlier (Table A) .
  • The value of gross mortgage advances was £63.3 billion in 2019 Q1, 1.4% higher than a year ago (Table A and Chart 1).
  • The value of new mortgage commitments (lending agreed to be advanced in the coming months) was £63.8 billion, 4.5% higher than a year earlier (Table A and Chart 1).
  • The share of mortgage loans with loan to value (LTV) ratios exceeding 90% increased to 4.5% in 2019 Q1, compared to 3.3% a year earlier. This is its highest since 2017 Q2 (Chart 3).
  • The proportion of high loan to income (LTI) lending (loans greater than four times the value of annual income for a single buyer or greater than three times the annual income for joint buyers) was 45.0% in Q1, 0.8 percentage points (pp) higher than a year earlier (Chart 4).
  • The share of lending for buy to let (BTL) purposes (including house purchase, remortgage and further advance) was 14.0% in 2019 Q1, marginally lower than a year earlier (Chart 5).
  • Lending to owner occupiers for house purchase accounted for 46.1% of total gross mortgage advances. Of this, 19.2% was to first-time buyers, which is consistent with a year earlier. The share of lending to home movers decreased marginally in the year to 26.9% (Chart 5).
  • The proportion of total loan balances in arrears has continued to decrease, reaching 0.99%, the lowest since the series began in 2007 Q1 (Chart 6). 

Download the data from the charts below - MLAR statistics: detailed tables (Excel)

Chart tips: hover over data series to view the data values and filter the data categories by clicking on the legend. 

Table A: Residential loans to individuals flows and balances 

Regulated and non-regulated mortgages - £ billions - Not seasonally adjusted

 

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

 

2017

2018

 

 

 

2019

Business flows

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross advances

69.0

62.4

66.7

73.5

72.9

63.3

New commitments

64.9

61.0

73.2

73.0

67.9

63.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Residential loan amounts outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

Total Regulated and Non-regulated

1,395.9

1,403.1

1,417.3

1,429.6

1,442.1

1,451.3

Chart

Data table

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  • The value of gross mortgage advances was £63.3 billion in 2019 Q1, 1.4% higher than a year ago (Table A and Chart 1).
  • The value of new mortgage commitments (lending agreed to be advanced in the coming months) was 4.5% higher than a year earlier, at £63.8 billion.

Chart

Data table

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  • Mortgages advanced in Q1 had a similar distribution of interest rates relative to Bank Rate as in the previous quarter. The share of mortgage loans advanced with interest rates less than 2% above Bank Rate was 83.4%. This is the first time this share has not risen since 2016 Q3. The share of loans advanced with interest rates between 2% and 3% above Bank Rate was 9.7%, and the share with interest rates 3% or more above Bank Rate was 6.9% (Chart 2). 

Chart

Data table

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  • The share of mortgages advanced in Q1 with loan to value (LTV) ratios exceeding 90% was 4.5%, the highest since 2017 Q2. This is 1.2 percentage points (pp) higher than a year earlier (Chart 3). 
  • The share of mortgages advanced with LTV ratios above 75% was 36.9%, a 3.0 pp increase since 2018 Q1.

Chart

Data table

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The proportion of lending to borrowers with high loan to income (LTI) ratios was 45.0% in 2019 Q1, 0.8 pp higher than a year earlier (Chart 4). High LTI borrowers are defined here as: 

  • Borrowers with a single income who had an LTI of 4 or above, which was broadly unchanged in the year to Q1 at 10.7%. 
  • Borrowers with a joint income who had an LTI of 3 or above, which was 34.3% in Q1, 0.9 pp higher than a year earlier. 

Chart

Data table

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  • The share of advances for buy to let (BTL) purposes (including for house purchase, remortgage and further advances) was 14.0%, marginally lower than a year earlier. The share of advances for owner occupation was 86.0% (Chart 5).
  • Of the 86.0% of advances for owner occupation, the share for remortgage increased slightly in the year to 33.4% and the proportion of lending for house purchase decreased marginally since 2018 Q1 to 46.1%. Further advances and other mortgages (including lifetime mortgages) accounted for 6.6% of gross advances combined.
  • Of the 46.1% of advances for house purchase by owner occupiers, lending to first-time buyers was 19.2% of total gross advances, which is consistent with a year earlier. The share advanced to home movers decreased marginally in the year to 26.9%.

Chart

Data table

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  • The value of outstanding balances with some arrears fell slightly on the quarter, to £14.4 billion (Chart 6). 
  • The proportion of total loan balances in arrears has continued to decrease, reaching 0.99% in Q1, the lowest since the series began in 2007 Q1.