Chelsea beats HSBC to be top for first-time buyers

HSBC’s price promise fails at the first hurdle, as the only challengers willing to step up are building societies, excluded from the promise. How will HSBC respond?

Chelsea Building Society has launched a market-leading two-year fixed rate mortgage for first-time buyers.

Borrowers with a 10% deposit can apply for the deal, which comes with a fixed rate of 3.54% for two years and a one-off fee of £1,545.

The new offer from Chelsea shoves HSBC from the top spot for two-year fixed rates on 90% loan-to-value deals – making a mockery of a price promise the bank pledged just a couple of weeks ago.

Flawed price promise

The HSBC price promise is a guarantee to be ‘first for first-time buyers’ on three of its 90% LTV deals.

The deals include a two-year fixed rate at 3.59%, a five-year fixed rate at 4.39% and a lifetime tracker rate of 3.99% (base rate plus 3.49%). Each of the offers come with a £999 fee if you have a HSBC current account, otherwise you will have to fork out £1,499.

HSBC said it would automatically beat or match providers that offered a better rate elsewhere between 2nd September and 3rd November 2013.

But this bold claim comes with an important catch.

The HSBC price promise will only beat or match rates on offer from Barclays, Woolwich, Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander.

HSBC says these providers represent 81% of the UK mortgage market.

This means that HSBC will be able to match or beat four out of five providers on the price of 90% LTV mortgages, but not all of them, as the latest move from Chelsea Building Society has highlighted.

HSBC vs. the 19%

The eight providers HSBC challenged have so far failed to set the mortgage world alight with counter offers that might put the price promise on HSBC’s leading deals to the test.

Only Chelsea Building Society, part of the 19% of providers HSBC's guarantee doesn’t cover, has brought out a challenger rate that is just 0.05% lower.

Elsewhere Nottingham Building Society has launched a rate of 4.39%, fixed for five years with a low fee of £299, which matches the rate on offer from HSBC’s five-year fixed rate.

The HSBC deals have only been challenged by lenders it discounted, a flaw in an otherwise bold offer.

HSBC said it had no immediate plans to extend the promise to the many building societies excluded from the guarantee, which is a shame as  things could really get interesting if they were.

Punching above their weight

Last year building societies increased gross lending by 30% to £31 billion. This gave the sector a 22% share of the mortgage market, compared to 17% the year before. This year building societies are on track to go even further, with the latest figures pointing towards a 24% market share.

It’s clear to see that building societies are punching above their weight and giving the big banks a run for their money.

Apart from Chelsea and Nottingham Building Society presenting a challenge to HSBC’s claim, Norwich and Peterborough has recently launched a market-leading rate of 1.99% to borrowers with a 35% deposit, while Leeds Building Society has come out with innovative 0%-interest mortgages.

Supporters of building societies always point out that they are run in the interest of their members rather than shareholders, so this is where the flexibility comes from. But the lower rates have almost certainly been spurred on by the Government’s Funding for Lending Scheme.

This has given lenders access to cheap funding, which they have passed on to mortgages borrowers in the form of record-breaking low rates.

Now building societies like Chelsea are coming to represent a real threat to the big banks.

First time buyer mortgages

Don’t discount the other 19% of lenders out there like HSBC has. Make sure you shop around for the best deal on a mortgage. You can visit our mortgage centre or talk to one of our brokers today.

There are also deals like Help to Buy and New Buy which have been designed to assist first time buyers onto the property ladder. Read What is the NewBuy scheme? and Cheap mortgages for all (with government help) for more information.

For more help figuring out the best deal take a look at: The best first-time buyer mortgages.

See the latest mortgage rates and get expert advice

This article aims to give information, not advice. Always do your own research and/or seek out advice from a regulated broker (such as one of our brokers here at Lovemoney), before acting on anything contained in this article.

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

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