The average rate of a two-year fixed mortgage has fallen to 2.4 per cent as of 22 November, the lowest it has been in the last 12 months, according to Moneyfacts data.
In October, Moneyfacts recorded the average rate for a two-year fixed at 2.44 per cent while exactly a year ago, it stood at 2.51 per cent.
This is down from the high of 2.52 per cent seen in December 2018.
Lenders are getting worried
Mitul Patel, mortgage adviser at Lemon Tree Financial, said lenders were competing with each other heavily but said he did not believe it had much to do with what was happening in the outside world.
He said: “They’re getting lower direct business volumes and are getting a bit worried. Usually this [rates reductions] happens in January where they want to meet targets for the year, so they do sales but I think it’s been brought forward.
“I spoke to one high street bank and the manager said it’s very slow in the branches. The lenders must be worried about volumes and uncertainty so they’re getting cutthroat with each other.
“Will it last? I don’t know, but it’s definitely in the favour of brokers and clients so we’ll just go with it. I think it will probably continue until January or February,” he added.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS