Second Base Rate Cut Of 2008 Takes Place

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Second Base Rate Cut Of 2008 Takes Place

The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) has announced that it is to cut the base rate of interest, it has been revealed.

In its monthly meeting in London today (April 10th), the committee has chosen to lower interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. The decision marks the second cut actioned over the course of this year, following a reduction of 0.25 per cent in February. In addition, the MPC also lowered rates by this amount in December. Now the base rate stands at five per cent, a figure which has not been seen since the latter stages of 2006.

Due to such a reduction homeowners may find that the amount of money required to pay towards their mortgage each month falls, should their money lender opt to reflect this latest cut. Such a move may also help to meet other areas of financial demand such as repayments on secured loans and credit cards, in addition to household bills, council tax and transport costs.

Commenting on today's decision, Sean Gardner, chief executive for MoneyExpert, said: "Things have changed dramatically since the base rate was last at five per cent. Mortgage applications fees have risen by 55 per cent and fixed-mortgage rates are also higher now than they were back in November 2006. However this latest rate cut is a chance for lenders to pass on some savings to consumers. We're not expecting fees and rates to be slashed dramatically, but hopefully we will see some respite and a settling of the mortgage market in particular."

Mr Gardner added that as Britons have struggled with managing their money over the past six months, the latest decision by the MPC "should come as welcome relief". However, the MoneyExpert chief stated that homeowners are likely to only feel the benefits of the move if money lenders choose to reduce their mortgage rates. Such moves, it was claimed, would mean that people will have to rely less on using loans and other forms of credit.

Although interest rates have returned to an even five per cent mark, it was revealed that consumers may still find they are coming under increased financial pressure. Since the last time the base rate was at this figure and the present day, the typical initial rate payable on fixed-rate mortgage deals has increased from an annual percentage rate of 5.48 per cent to stand at 6.25 per cent. During the same period of time the average application fee has gone up by 55 per cent to 827 pounds.

After this month's reduction, those consumers who are concerned about their ability to manage finances as 2008 progresses and the impact of the credit crunch continues to take effect may find that taking out a cheap loan proves to be useful. Following the previous two MPC cuts, Mike Naylor, personal finance expert for uSwitch, claimed that those homeowners on a tracker rate mortgage deal will have seen their monthly repayments fall by about 50 pounds. However, he pointed out that some ten million Britons think their level of overall debt is "unmanageable", with homeowners committing more than a third of their take-home pay towards their mortgage.

About the Author

Abbi Rouse writes for All About Loans. Our visitors are offered advice and information all about loans, they can also apply online for UK tenant loans and cheap loans for any purpose, including self certification loans for the self employed.

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