10/06/2025
Some 257k mortgage borrowers switch to interest-only or extend term to lower payments – FCA
June 10, 2025
Between July 2023 – when the Mortgage Charter was introduced – and April this year, around 257,000 people lowered their monthly mortgage payments by switching to interest-only or extending their mortgage term, data from the regulator showed.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said this accounted for around 2.9% of regulated mortgage contracts.
Just 950 term extensions have been reversed, and the regulator said this suggested that people who wanted to lower their mortgage payments were opting for interest-only payments over term extensions.
Between February and April this year, 9,395 mortgage accounts temporarily switched to interest-only payments, while over the same period, 7,072 loan terms were extended.
During the reported period, only 503 borrowers exited the temporary switch to interest-only payments earlier than agreed.