Cheap fixed-rate mortgages disappear

Almost half of all fixed rate mortgage deals now charge 5 per cent or more despite the Bank of England keeping interest rates at just 0.5 per cent, according to the Daily Telegraph. The finding comes after a week which saw several major high street lenders increase the rates on their fixed rates deals. The research by personal finance researchers Defaqto suggest that there are currently 1,096 fixed rate mortgages available, of which 576 charge 5 per cent or more. At the same time, standard variable rates (SVRs) vary upwards from the lowest offered by Cheltenham & Gloucester at 2.5 per cent. Halifax’s SVR is 3.5 per cent and HSBC’s is 3.94 per cent.