Please note, we are NOT Mortgage Express, nor are we affiliated with them in any way. The information provided below is not guaranteed to be correct or up to date.
The following information is available on the Mortgage Express website:
http://consumer.bbg.co.uk/en/contact-us.aspx
Mortgage Express – information for customers.
General Enquiries Telephone Number
Bradford & Bingley Mortgages 0844 892 2590
Mortgage Express Mortgages* 0844 892 2591
Opening Hours
8.30am-6pm Monday-Friday
9am-1pm Saturday
*If your mortgage was originally taken out through GMAC, Kensington or Close Brothers, you should call 0845 604 4540.
Postal Address
Customer Relations
Croft Road
Crossflatts
Bingley
West Yorkshire
BD16 2UA
About Mortgage Express
First of all, to contact Mortgage Express about your payments or for any other questions, use the contact information above. Mortgage Express was sold to Bradford and Bingley and
Mortgage Express continues to cater to the needs of existing clients, however, they are currently unable to take on any new business due to their financial woes. Once a well established and thriving company, many unfortunate situations have impacted them. Most noteworthy of these was the decline of the property market and the sale of Bradford and Bingley to the Santander Group (owner of Abbey National).
Mortgage Express was a specialised mortgage arm of one of the big four banks of the UK, Lloyds TSB. Above all, it was set up to cater to the needs of borrowers who didn’t meet the criteria of other mortgage lender requirements. Customers were typically self-employed or had negative equity, consequently, they found it difficult to find mortgages elsewhere.
The 1990s was not an easy time for Mortgage Express due to the interest rate increases. Holding a high-risk portfolio and offering uncompetitive rates put them under pressure as the housing recession arrived. As a result, Lloyds TSB decided to sell the company to the Yorkshire based building society, Bradford and Bingley.
Lloyds TSB wanted to commit to their new acquisition, C&C building society. With a mortgage lending service that was working well in the mainstream lending arena, therefore, Mortgage Express was viewed as being a bad fit.
Mortgage Express bloomed
Bradford and Bingley bought at the perfect time. Mortgage Express made it possible to meet the needs of high-risk customers and also charge them higher interest rates. The housing market was booming. The company performed well, and their valuation was almost £3.6 billion at their peak.
The company developed into a niche provider of specialist funding. Self-certification mortgages and buy to let mortgages became very popular. As a result, Bradford and Bingley expanded even further.
Turning their attention to the international money market, they wanted to lend more money for even more enormous profits. Unfortunately, this abruptly came to an end as house prices tumbled, mortgage arrears grew.
As many as one in every 43 mortgage holders fell behind with mortgage payments due to the high-interest rates. Bradford and Bingley could not support Mortgage Express. Furthermore, they owed money themselves and could not sustain the arrears.
How the recession affected Mortgage Express
Forward to 2008 and Mortgage Express was handed over to Bradford and Bingley plc. Santander, the Spanish financial group owners of Abbey National, bought part of it.
As a result, no new business is not being taken on by Mortgage Express. It will only handle existing customers who have already started the repayment process. Mortgage Express continues to provide an excellent service to its existing customers and likewise their mortgages.
What to do now
Finally, if Mortgage Express changes have impacted you, then you may want to find a new mortgage lender. You can use our mortgage calculator to look for a deal that will fit with your income and lifestyle.
Use our mortgage calculator
Finally, you can access our mortgage calculator here.