Gap between fixed rates and SVR begins to close

The gap between two-year fixed rates and the average SVR is narrowing, decreasing motivation for existing borrowers to remortgage, according to the latest research from Moneyfacts.

Related topics:  Mortgages
Rozi Jones
11th November 2019
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"Just over two years ago, the mortgage market reached the end of a period of aggressive competition"

The difference between the average two-year fixed rate of two years ago (2.33%) and the current average SVR (4.89%) fell from 2.70% in October to 2.56% this month.

In October 2017, the average two-year fixed rate reached a historical low of 2.20%, however, the markets anticipated that the Monetary Policy Committee would vote to increase the Bank base rate from 0.25% to 0.50% on 2 November 2017, which saw the average two-year fixed rate climb to 2.33% in November 2017 before reaching a peak of 2.53% in November 2018.

Darren Cook, finance expert at Moneyfacts, said: “Just over two years ago, the mortgage market reached the end of a period of aggressive competition, which saw the average two-year fixed mortgage rate fall to its historical low of 2.20% in October 2017. Borrowers who took advantage of this increased competition between lenders before the base rate rise in November 2017 may have seen a difference of 2.70% between their previous fixed rate and last month’s average SVR (4.90%).

“However, borrowers who missed out on historical low mortgage rates by securing a mortgage during November 2017 may have had to pay higher monthly repayment instalments for the following two years, and on average will see their interest rates rise by 2.56% when reverting to the current average SVR of 4.89%.

“A high motivation to switch deals is clearly driving some to switch providers, which could see some lenders lose a substantial proportion of their mortgage book from remortgagers looking elsewhere. However, the competition between providers to push average interest rates down from 2.53% in November 2018 to 2.45% today, seems to not only be motivated by lenders trying to attract new business, but also preventing their existing mortgage customers from drifting away to pastures new.”

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