What is a Fixed Rate Mortgage?

As the term implies, with a fixed rate mortgage the mortgage rate is fixed for a set period of time, so no matter what movements occur in the lender's standard variable mortgage rate, the borrower's arrangement is fixed and, therefore, so are the monthly fixed rate mortgage payments.

A fixed rate mortgage would suit someone who likes to know where they stand. A fixed rate mortgage, as suggested by the name, is a mortgage where equal repayments are made every month.



Fixed rate mortgages allow you to easily manage and plan your monthly expenditure - because the payment will be the same every month and you won't be affected by any rises in the base rate. If the interest rates rise above the fixed rate on your mortgage, you will see the real benefits of the fixed rate mortgage.

A fixed rate mortgage makes it easy to plan ahead, because as the name suggests, the interest rate on your mortgage stays fixed.



This means that as a fixed rate mortgage customer, even if the Bank of England Base Rate changes, the interest rate on your mortgage remains constant over a fixed period of time. This makes your budgeting easier, because you can plan ahead knowing exactly how much your monthly repayments will be.

The fixed rate period can be anything between six months and five years, but it's always best to refer to a financial services professional before deciding what period of fixed interest rate to choose.



The biggest advantage of a fixed rate is that irrespective of fluctuations in interest rates, your monthly repayments remain the same throughout the period of the fixed rate - usually six months to five years.

A fixed rate mortgage is suitable if your mortgage repayments take up a large proportion of your income as it protects you from rises in interest rates. However, you would not benefit from any reduction in the lenders standard variable rate.

Fixed rate mortgages generally incur a penalty if redeemed within the fixed rate period.



The advantage of a fixed rate mortgage is that you know exactly how much your mortgage will cost, and for how long. If interest rates on your mortgage rise, well the fixed rate will not. Conversely, however, when mortgage rates drop, your fixed rate mortgage will not drop with them.

The key benefit of a fixed rate mortgage is that you are able to accurately budget your repayments for a set period of time.



In addition, fixed rate mortgages are an excellent option, if it becomes apparent that interest rates may be rising over the coming years, as you can protect your mortgage repayments against rises by choosing a fixed rate mortgage.

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Lenders Plan to Ease Home Repossessions Ahead of Boom in Mortgage Defaults

As they prepare for an increase in delinquencies, mortgage lenders have published their plans to reduce the number of people having their homes foreclosed. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said that although it was expected that outstanding mortgages and foreclosures are still low, economic prospects in Britain, the deterioration could lead to more homeowners who are in the LMC difficulties.The initiative aims to ensure that owners can not maintain mortgage repayments will lose their homes once all other measures have failed. Mortgage lenders are already required by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for the political management of arrears to avoid seizure, unless there is no alternative. But no, the standard approach, and recovery policies differ lenders.In a letter to Chancellor Alistair Darling, the CML said its members have signed four measures to help maintain an embargo have minimum.Lenders Agreement to review its management policies and improve its backlog of work to comply with the new direction of the industry that have been issued by the CML. Borrowers who fall behind on payments will also include information explaining their lenders' management process arrears so that they can understand what to expect and how they treated.Lenders also adopt the so-called "pre -Action Protocol, which defines the steps that a lender must wait before taking a case, arrears to the courts to ensure legal action is a last resort.Finally, construction and the banks also need to be proactive helping people to plan for potential mortgage payments the higher end of their current contract. The Council wants the lenders to contact borrowers nearing the end of their agreement at a discount or fixed rate and time to convince contact the lender if they feel they have difficulties in May, the highest in the repayments.The CML Director General, said: "We continue to anticipate that the level of repayment of loans and mortgage assets will remain low, as has been provided. With the deteriorating economy and an incomplete safety net for mortgage borrowers, the LMC can not be complacent about prospects and challenges faced by lenders, borrowers and policy makers public. We continue to work closely with government ministers to us and we hope a clear statement of the position of his own government on a safety net for borrowers. He added that the CML has also found that the government should urgently improve support to owners who have a short-term loss of income.