How many UK mortgages are at risk?
There is no doubt that the UK property market has not performed as well as many had hoped and expected during the first half of 2010, with a number of analysts also expecting weakness in the market in the latter part of 2010. So how many UK mortgages could be at risk in the short to medium term?
A recent survey of the UK mortgage market indicates that 46% of UK mortgage holders are concerned about their ability to cover their mortgage liabilities in the short to medium term. There is growing concern that the likelihood of an increase in UK base rates in the short to medium term would likely mean an increase in mortgage rates to levels which would pull many people into financial difficulty. This comes at a time when the UK mortgage market is perhaps more competitive than it has been over the last two years and indeed many were starting to look ahead with a little more confidence.
Against this backdrop of potential problems for UK mortgage holders it is unlikely that we will see an easing of the purse strings amongst UK mortgage providers who are still very concerned about the prospect of increased mortgage default rates in the years ahead.
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