The number of mortgages in arrears of 2.5% or more of the balance stood at 131,400, or 1.18% of all mortgages, at the end of June, down from 138,200 or 1.24% three months earlier and 154,900 or 1.38% a year ago.
The figures shows that there was a fall in numbers across all arrears bands, and the overall total is now at its lowest since the first quarter of 2008.
A total of 5,400 properties, representing 0.05% of all loans, were taken into possession in the second quarter, down from 6,400 in the preceding quarter and 7,600 a year ago. At 11,800, the number of cases of possession in the first half of this year was at its lowest since the second half of 2006.
The totals reported include arrears and possessions in the buy to let sector, which also continued to decline. The number of buy to let mortgages in arrears of three months or more, including cases in which a receiver of rent had been appointed, stood at 13,400 at the end of June, down from 14,700 three months earlier and 17,900 a year ago. In the second quarter, 1,300 buy to let properties were taken into possession, compared to 1,400 in the previous quarter and a year ago.
The figures are broadly in line with the CML’s revised forecast of 135,000 mortgages in arrears at the end of 2014, down from 150,000, and 25,000 cases of possession in the year, down from 28,000.
‘Another fall in arrears and possessions is clearly welcome and shows that borrowers, lenders and money advisers are generally continuing to work well to contain payment problems where they arise, helped by an improving economy and low interest rates. But rates will rise at some stage, of course, and borrowers should be planning for that now,’ said CML director general Paul Smee.
‘We welcome the message from the Bank of England that, when it raises rates, it plans to do so in a series of baby steps, matched to a careful assessment of the ability of households to deal with higher borrowing costs. Any borrower anticipating payment problems should talk to their lender as soon as possible. Today's figures continue to show that in many cases it is possible to work through a period of difficulty, with lenders committed to helping borrowers get their finances back on track,’ he added.
Figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) confirm the picture. They show a 27.3% fall in second charge mortgage repossessions in the second quarter of 2014 compared with the same period last year. In the first half of 2014, repossessions were down by 36.2%.
‘The low number of repossessions is what we would expect to see in this market given lenders’ approach to forbearance. The forecast for 2014 suggests that the number of second charge mortgage repossessions this year will be lower than in 2013, at around 600,’ said Geraldine Kilkelly, head of research and chief economist at the FLA.
According to Richard Sexton, director of e.surv chartered surveyors, the sustained period of low interest rates has allowed struggling home owners time to strengthen their finances and wipe away debts. 'Simultaneously, the jobs market has started to pick-up and inflation has been falling. Repossessions rates have fallen to pre-recession levels as a result, a further sign that the economic recovery that is revving along nicely,' he said.
However, he pointed out that rock bottom interest rates cannot last forever. 'But yesterday’s inflation report confirmed that an interest rate rise is still some way off and that its eventual arrival will be slow and gradual. Hiking interest rates would rapidly push up repayments, and so delaying the rate rise will offer further reprieve for struggling borrowers,' he explained.
'Linking the rise to real wage growth is also a smart move otherwise a rise in costs, before a rise in wages could see borrowers falling behind on repayments again. In the meantime, new regulation has been designed to ensure any new borrowers are properly prepared for a base rate rise and aren’t lured in by the false certainty low interest rates promise,' he added.
