(Oct 31): The Bank of England is considering easing restrictions on higher-risk mortgage loans in a move that could support the UK housing market, the Financial Times (FT) reported. 

Under pressure from lenders and the government, the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is examining whether to increase a key lending threshold to five times borrowers’ household income, up from 4.5 times at present, the newspaper said. Since 2014, most banks have been prevented from offering more than 15% of mortgages to borrowers above that loan-to-income level. 

The Bank of England told the FT that it “keeps its housing tools under regular review, having regard to the FPC’s primary and secondary objectives”.

According to the FT, the bank lobby group UK Finance estimates that raising the threshold could free up additional lending capacity equivalent to 7% of new residential mortgages. 

The UK residential property market is under renewed pressure as surging mortgage costs squeeze prospective buyers. House prices stagnated in October, according to one of the country’s largest mortgage lenders, following a 0.3% decline in September.   

UK Chancellor John Healey wrote to the Bank of England this week, urging the FPC to “target improving access to home ownership without prejudicing financial stability” and to consider how the loan-to-income threshold can better support that objective. 

That followed his move in Wednesday’s budget to double the UK’s bank tax surcharge to 6%, raising roughly £1.5 billion (US$2 billion or RM8.2 billion) to help fund cost-of-living relief for cash-strapped households.

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