Nationwide is extending its high loan-to-income (LTI) lending to support a wider range of borrowers. The change will see home movers and customers remortgaging able to borrow up to six times their income.
Nationwide’s Helping Hand proposition was launched in April 2021 and gives eligible first-time buyers the option of borrowing up to six times income when taking a five or ten-year fixed rate mortgage up to 95% LTV.
Nationwide will now lend up to six times income to both new and existing customers moving home or remortgaging up to 95% LTV.
To qualify for the enhanced borrowing, new customers moving home or remortgaging to Nationwide will need a minimum annual income of £75,000 for sole applicants, or £100,000 for joint applications.
However, to support existing Nationwide customers wanting to move to their next home in 2026, such as previous first-time buyers who benefitted from Helping Hand, there will be no minimum income requirements.
For new customers moving home or remortgaging, the change could provide an uplift of £37,500 for single applicants and £50,000 for joint applicants.
For all remortgage applications made that don’t require any additional borrowing, Nationwide already allows borrowing up to 6.5 times income up to 95% LTV. The Helping Hand scheme remains available to first-time buyers only.
In 2025, Nationwide saw a 57% increase in the number of first-time buyer mortgages taken at or above five times income compared with 2024, as well as an over five-fold increase in loans to those borrowing at or above five and a half times their income.
This increased support for first-time buyers, as well as the ability to now widen and enhance lending, has been unlocked by the regulatory changes made last year, including the clarification of stress rate rules by the FCA and the review of the LTI flow limit by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).
Henry Jordan, Nationwide’s group director of mortgages, said: “The government and regulatory changes last year have been a game changer for first-time buyers. Alongside our Helping Hand expansion to six times income in September 2024, they’ve enabled greater support for those who need it most. Over the past year, we’ve seen a five-fold increase in the number of first-time buyers borrowing between 5.5 and six times income. Our latest announcement means we will provide similar support to those looking to move home or remortgage to Nationwide and shows our commitment to all parts of the market.”
