With all that has happened, here are the top 10 most read mortgage stories from 2025.
The most read story of the year was from January, where Alan Taylor, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), said the base rate – which was 4.75% at the time – should be lowered by 1.25-1.5% this year.
Ultimately, the MPC did not cut the base rate as far as he suggested, as it is currently one percentage point lower than where it was when Taylor made his comments. At 3.75%, the base rate is at its lowest in nearly three years.
Base rate cuts should be ‘accelerated’ to 3.25%, says BoE official
Conversations you need to have with landlords before the Renters’ Rights Act
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One of the earliest mortgage rate cuts of the year also made the most read, kicking off a trend that continued throughout 2025 and brought average mortgage pricing down.
HSBC announces mortgage rate reductions
Following a Spring Statement that was light on policies impacting the housing and mortgage markets, all eyes were on the Autumn Budget to see what the Chancellor had in store.
The enduring speculation that stamp duty would be reformed did not materialise, despite rumours that there would be changes to the tax.
Reeves considers ‘replacing stamp duty’ with property tax – reports
Speculation that there would be a permanent mortgage guarantee scheme this year was also a top story, with the later-confirmed initiative aiming to support high-loan-to-value (LTV) lending.
Chancellor to launch permanent mortgage guarantee scheme in coming days – reports
Rate reductions from Nationwide grabbed readers, one of the many pricing changes seen over the year.
Nationwide slashes first-time buyer and homemover rates by up to 0.25%
The impact of the trading tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on several nations rippled across the globe, and in the UK, this resulted in swap rate fluctuations.
Trump tariffs have led to short-term swap rate drop but future uncertain
Getting into the festive spirit, the most recent write-up of the Diversity and Inclusivity Finance Forum (DIFF) was a popular story, delving into the different ways Christmas is celebrated and recognised across different families and faiths.
DIFF podcast: Family, food and appreciation – how different people spend the festive period
Nationwide made a number of adjustments to its Helping Hand mortgage – open to first-time buyers – intending to make the product accessible to a wider group of hopeful homeowners.
Nationwide cuts Helping Hand sole applicant minimum income limit
Another set of rate changes made the top 10 stories of 2025 – this time, it was HSBC and TSB tweaking their rates.
April Mortgages announced a 100% LTV product, one of the many innovative mortgages brought out this year.
