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06 June 2014 / Natasha Phillips
Issue: 7609 / Categories: Features , Family
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Natasha Phillips underlines the importance of mortgage capacity assessments in divorce proceedings

April 26 2014 marked a significant change in the world of mortgage lending. Changes following the Mortgage Market Review were implemented on this date and the biggest shake-up happened within the realms of affordability. It is now official that mortgage lenders are responsible for assessing whether applicants can afford any potential new mortgage and with emphasis on how badly this was handled pre-recession, mortgage providers are taking things very seriously. With changes to criteria and more complex affordability calculations it has made it increasingly difficult for the average person to get a good idea of their likely mortgage borrowing. Some banks have even stated that potential borrowers will need to spend up to 2.5 hours with an adviser to assess their affordability. For those dealing with divorce who are in need of their own or their client’s mortgage capacity for financial negotiations, mediation or as information at court, there may be few resources available to get this information.

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