New customers will be able to take out mortgages on a capital and repayment basis only.

Existing interest-only mortgage customers will not be affected by the change. The Co-op said they will still be able to switch to any product from the lender’s mortgage range for the same amount of borrowing on an interest-only basis when they come to the end of their deal.

The lender said the changes will also apply for mortgages offered through Britannia and residential mortgages offered through Platform, the Co-op’s intermediary arm.

It said that a combination of factors including falling house prices and uncertainty about the direction of interest rates have led to a rapid decline in demand for these loans.

The lender added that currently less than 10% of its new mortgage customers are taking out mortgages on an interest-only basis.

Sponsored

Welcome to the future: how collaboration is driving the shift to digital home buying

Sponsored by Halifax Intermediaries

James Hillon, head of mortgages at The Co-operative Bank, said: “The mortgage market has changed greatly in the last four years and as a responsible lender we closely monitor these developments. With house prices continuing to stagnate, we’re seeing that buyers are increasingly taking a long-term view to homeownership rather than seeing it as a route to watch their money grow quickly, as was the case for many in the property boom years from the late 1990s onwards.

“We understand that all our customers have individual requirements and as a responsible lender we remain committed to working with them to find an affordable solution to owning their own home.

“For example we know that many customers historically turned to interest-only mortgages as a way of meeting monthly outgoings when on a variable monthly income. For these customers we continue to offer a range of mortgages which enable them to make overpayments as and when they can afford to, then use their overpayments fund to meet repayments in the months where they earn less.”

Platform said the majority of its lending is focused on buy-to-let and volumes of mainstream and almost-prime interest-only applications are low. It also believes demand for interest-only loans will continue to fall.

It said that as a result, the cost of changes that it would want to make in order to comply with future regulations and meet its high standards as a responsible lender cannot be justified.

Platform will continue to offer interest-only as a payment option for buy-to-let, as the rent on the property is typically used to make monthly repayments and the capital value of the property is used as the repayment vehicle for the mortgage.