FACTBOX - Lenders' response to interest rate cut

Fri Dec 5, 2008 4:36pm GMT
 
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(Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged banks to pass on Thursday's 1 percentage point rate cut by the Bank of England to help homeowners.

The following is a round-up of some of the actions of banks and building societies since the rate cut was announced:

HBOS, the country's biggest home loan provider, cut its variable mortgage rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.75 percent.

It said a combination of falling lending rates and persistently high funding costs had put pressure on its margins, restricting its ability to pass on rate cuts.

Nationwide, the second-ranked mortgage provider, lowered its variable rate by 0.69 percentage points to 4 percent and said it would not enforce the floor on tracker mortgages, which track the Bank of England base rate.

Royal Bank of Scotland, which is now majority state-owned and owns NatWest bank, passed on the Bank cut to small business customers on variable rates, but kept its mortgage rates under review.

Lloyds TSB, which is due to complete a takeover of HBOS next month and owns the Cheltenham & Gloucester mortgage brand, cut its variable rate by 1 percent.

HSBC also lowered its variable rates by the full 1 percentage point.

Abbey, the mortgage bank owned by Spain's Banco Santander, said it was reviewing its standard variable mortgage rate.  Continued...

 
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