Building societies launch new mortgages aimed at 1st-time buyers

Several new mortgage products have been launched for first-time buyers from Leeds Building Society and Yorkshire Building Society.

The Leeds have extended their award-winning Welcome Mortgage to those borrowing for shared ownership, one of the government's Help to Buy schemes.

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire's mortgage range is aimed at first-time buyers who are saving with a Help to Buy ISA. Almost half of first-time buyers are using a Help to Buy ISA to save a deposit for their first purchase.

The Leeds Welcome Mortgage is the only UK mortgage with a zero percent interest rate for the first three months. That allows borrowers to repay some of the outstanding capital in those first three months, reducing the amount they owe from the very start.

The mortgage won the Mortgage Finance Gazette Product Innovation Award in 2014.

Jaedon Green, director of product and distribution at the Leeds, said: "Welcome is a natural extension of our shared ownership proposition, and it helps ease the transition into home ownership. Borrowers continue to pay the capital, but Welcome provides valuable breathing space with an interest rate of 0% for the first three months."

At the Yorkshire, the new mortgage products include two- and five-year fixed-rate deals for buyers with deposits of either 5 or 10 percent.

According to research carried out by the building society, 43 percent of first-time buyers are saving for a deposit with a Help to Buy ISA. The scheme lets them save tax free while also benefiting from a government bonus of up to 25 percent.

Yorkshire's mortgage manager, Janice Barber, said: "We understand how tough it can be for first-time buyers to take that initial step on to the property ladder, and we're constantly looking at ways we can help them to own their own home.

"Our latest First Time Buyers Report showed almost half of those saving for their first property are doing so with a Help to Buy ISA.

"We've launched this exclusive new range of mortgages to directly appeal to this group of prospective borrowers with the aim of offering a competitive rate and an excellent service to guide them through the home-buying experience."