Let’s get straight to the point – there’s a good chance that by 2020, you will see a significant drop in the number of potential remortgage customers you’re speaking to.
A bold statement, I know. So – what’s this based on?
One of the main drivers is that consumers are shifting from 2 year to 5+ year fixed rate mortgage deals at a rapid rate.
James Tatch, of UK Finance, commented last year that:
James Tatch, of UK Finance
More consumers on 5 years deals means fewer clients looking to remortgage and less often.
Let that sink in a little.
What’s going on?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a reduction in the gap between two year and five year rates. Statistics from the Bank of England’s Global Property Guide show that in March 2019 the average difference between five year and two year rates was just 0.36% (2.04% vs 1.68%) as opposed to a difference of 1.15% (3.61% vs 2.46%) in September 2014.
Add Brexit uncertainty to the mix and the stability and cost of a 5 year deal starts looking very attractive.
The added need for stability has seen an increase in fixed rate mortgage deals of 5 years.
Graham Seller, head of business development at Santander Mortgages said last year that:
Graham Seller, head of business development at Santander Mortgages
So, What’s the Deal with Brexit?
Brexit is being blamed for almost everything at the moment. A fall in remortgages is no different. As the Brexit process drags on, mortgage customers are looking for a little bit of certainty in their lives – at least when it comes to their mortgage payments.
In short, as James Pickford of the Financial Times points out in his September 2018 article:
James Pickford of the Financial Times
Sobering thoughts.
It was good while it lasted
Over the last few years, life has been pretty sweet for brokers who spent time on remortgages. The majority of existing clients have been on 2 year products – with a view to remortgaging every 2 years. Unfortunately, it looks like the days of reliable, frequent remortgage income is about to end.
A reducing stream of remortgage clients means that – as an industry – we have to explore other avenues of income.
You’re probably pretty familiar with how to get new leads. Typically you start to look for more introducers or expand your social media presence.
But are you sure you’re making every effort to extract the maximum value out of your existing client bank?
It’s likely that you are in regular contact with some clients, such as portfolio landlords. But many of your clients may not hear from you for the best part of five years.
As each year passes – and your last meaningful contact is further away – the chance of a client returning decreases. You need to create more opportunities to add value to your clients between remortgages. To make sure you remain your client’s go-to Adviser, you have to stay in touch.
Regular contact also opens up new and unique ways to cross-sell your clients onto other products. Being up-to-date provides opportunities to provide the service that your clients expect.
Tools such as Retain by Eligible allow you to maintain contact. Retain engages and nurtures your clients automatically. Using personalised messaging, financial and customer analytics, Retain provides an individual experience for each of your clients. Making sure you’re looking out for your clients, all the time.
Wrapping Up
Based on current data around new mortgages, it’s looking like remortgage business is going to drop from next year onwards (or at least be delayed until 2024). We’ve given you some tips in the article above on how to start preparing, but, in the meantime, make sure you’re making the most of your current remortgage opportunities. Get in touch with us to find out how Retain can help increase your client retention by up to 50%.
