Related provisions for MCOB 4.7A.19
1 - 20 of 20 items.
(1) This section sets out rules and guidance for lenders and providers under regulated mortgage contracts and home purchase plans, in relation to the assessment of affordability for the customer of these contracts. Firms have the option of applying certain of the rules and guidance on a modified basis in relation to regulated mortgage contracts and home purchase plans which are solely for a business purpose or are with high net worth mortgage customers. This section also contains
(1) Except as provided in MCOB 11.6.3 R, MCOB 11.6.57 R (Interest roll-up mortgages) and MCOB 11.7 (Transitional arrangements):(a) before entering into, or agreeing to vary, a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan, a firm must assess whether the customer (and any guarantor of the customer's obligations under the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan) will be able to pay the sums due; and[Note: article 18(1) of the MCD]3(b) the firm must not enter into the
When assessing for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R whether a customer will be able to pay the sums due, a firm: (1) must not base its assessment of affordability on the equity in the property which is used as security under the regulated mortgage contract or is subject to the home purchase plan, or take account of an expected increase in property prices;[Note: article 18(3) of the MCD]3(2) must take full account of:(a) the income of the customer, net of income tax and national insurance;
A firm may wish to impose a limit, expressed as a multiple of the customer's income, on the amount it is prepared to advance under a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan. Such an approach is not, of itself, inconsistent with MCOB 11.6.2 R but, in accordance with the rules in this section, the firm must be able to demonstrate that the loan is affordable, having taken full account of the customer's income and expenditure, and (for a mortgage lender) the impact of future
In taking account of the customer's income (in accordance with MCOB 11.6.5R (2)(a)) for the purposes of its assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due:(1) a firm must obtain evidence of the income declared by the customer for the purposes of the customer's application for the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan (or variation). The evidence, whether document-based or derived through the use of automated systems, must be of a type and for a
For the purposes of a mortgage lender's or home purchase provider's assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due:(1) the committed expenditure of a customer in MCOB 11.6.5R (2)(b)(i) is his credit and other contractual commitments which will continue after the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan (or variation) is entered into;(2) the basic essential expenditure of a customer's household in MCOB 11.6.5R (2)(b)(ii) comprises expenditure for:
(1) Examples of evidence of income in MCOB 11.6.12R (1) are payslips and bank statements.(2) If a firm obtains details of the customer's credit commitments from the customer, it should corroborate the information, for example by making a credit reference agency search or checking credit card or bank statements.(3) Where the customer's credit or contractual commitments are due to end shortly after the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan (or variation) has been entered
If a firm is, or should reasonably be aware from information obtained during the application process, that there will, or are likely to, be future changes to the income and expenditure of the customer during the term of the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan, the firm must take them into account when assessing whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R.
(1) Examples of future changes to income and expenditure in MCOB 11.6.14 R are: reductions in income that may come about following the customer's retirement; where it is known that the customer is being made redundant; or where the firm is aware of another loan commitment that will become due during the term of the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan, such as an equity loan to assist in property purchase.(2) If the term of a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase
(1) This rule applies where: (a) a purpose of a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan (or variation) is debt consolidation; and (b) for a first charge regulated mortgage contract, 4the customer is a credit-impaired customer.(2) Subject to (3), where each of the conditions in (1) is satisfied and, if the debts which are to be repaid using the sums raised by the regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan (or variation) were not repaid, the transaction would not
(1) Under MCOB 11.6.5R (4), in taking account of likely future interest rate increases for the purposes of its assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due, a mortgage lender must consider the likely future interest rates over a minimum period of five years from the expected start of the term of the regulated mortgage contract (or variation), unless the interest rate under the regulated mortgage contract is fixed for a period of five years or more from that
(1) 3Under MCOB 11.6.5R (4), in taking account of likely future interest rate increases for the purposes of its assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due, a second charge lender must also consider the likely future interest rates of any regulated mortgage contract in existence at the time of the assessment and remaining in existence after the relevant second charge regulated mortgage contract has been entered into.(2) The second charge lender must, at
A firm must put in place, and operate in accordance with, a written policy (which may be contained in more than one document), approved by its governing body, setting out the factors it will take into account in assessing a customer's ability to pay the sums due. The policy must address the following matters:(1) how income and expenditure is to be assessed, including (except as provided in MCOB 11.6.32R (1) and MCOB 11.6.39R (1)): (a) details of the types of income which are acceptable;
When assessing for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R whether a customer will be able to pay the sums due, a firm: (1) must not base its assessment of affordability on the equity in the property which is used as security under the regulated mortgage contract, or take account of an expected increase in property prices;(2) must:(a) where the repayments will be made from the resources of the customer:(i) take full account of the income, net of income tax and national insurance, or net
In taking account (in accordance with MCOB 11.6.26R (2)) of the customer's income or net assets (or both) and the resources of the business for the purposes of its assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due: (1) a firm must obtain evidence of the income or net assets (or both) of the customer and the resources of the business, as declared by the customer for the purpose of the customer's application for the regulated mortgage contract (or variation); and
If a firm is, or should reasonably be aware from information obtained during the application process, that there will, or are likely to, be future changes to the income and expenditure of the customer, or the resources of the business, during the term of the regulated mortgage contract, the firm must take them into account when assessing whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R.
When assessing for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R whether a customer will be able to pay the sums due, a firm: (1) must not base its assessment of affordability on the equity in the property which is used as security under the regulated mortgage contract, or take account of an expected increase in property prices;[Note: article 18(3) of the MCD]3(2) must:(a) take full account of the income, net of income tax and national insurance, or net assets (or both) of the customer; and the
In taking account of the customer's income or net assets (or both) (in accordance with MCOB 11.6.34R (2)(a)) for the purposes of its assessment of whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due: (1) a firm must obtain evidence of the income or net assets (or both) declared by the customer for the purpose of the customer's application for the regulated mortgage contract (or variation); and(2) a firm must not accept self-certification of income by the customer, and the source
If a firm is, or should reasonably be, aware from information obtained during the application process, that there will, or are likely to, be future changes to the income and expenditure of the customer during the term of the regulated mortgage contract, the firm must take them into account when assessing whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due for the purposes of MCOB 11.6.2 R.
(1) A firm must make, in paper or electronic form, an adequate record of the steps it takes to comply with the rules in this chapter in relation to each customer.(2) The record in (1) must include the information taken into account in each affordability assessment, so that it is possible to understand from the record the basis of the mortgage lender's or home purchase provider's lending or financing decision, including (except as provided in MCOB 11.6.32R (3) and MCOB 11.6.39R
For the purposes of MCOB 8.5A.2 R: (1) an equity release transaction will not be suitable for a customer unless the equity release transaction is appropriate to the needs and circumstances of the customer; (2) a firm must base its determination of whether an equity release transaction is appropriate to a customer's needs and circumstances on the facts disclosed by the customer and other relevant facts about the customer of which the firm is or should reasonably be aware;(3) no
When a firm assesses whether the equity release transaction is appropriate to the needs and circumstances of the customer for the purposes of MCOB 8.5A.5 R, the factors it must consider include the following:(1) whether the benefits to the customer outweigh any adverse effect on:(a) the customer's entitlement (if any) to means-tested benefits; and(b) the customer's tax position (for example the loss of an Age Allowance);(2) alternative methods of raising the required funds such
In relation to MCOB 8.5A.5R (1), when a firmadvises a customer in relation to entering into an equity release transaction where the main purpose for doing so is the consolidation of existing debts by the customer, it must also take account of the following in assessing whether the equity release transaction is suitable for the customer: (1) the costs associated with increasing the period over which a debt is to be repaid; (2) whether it is appropriate for the customer to secure
When advising a customer on the suitability of an equity release transaction, a firm must explain to the customer that the assessment of whether the equity release transaction is appropriate to his needs and circumstances is based on the customer's current circumstances, which may change in the future.
MCOB 8.5A.5R (3) means that where the advice provided is based on a selection of equity release transactions from a single or limited number of providers, the assessment of suitability should not be limited to the types of equity release transactions which the firm offers. A firm cannot recommend the 'least worst' equity release transaction where the firm does not have access to products appropriate to the customer's needs and circumstances. This means, for example, that if a
(1) A firm must make and retain a record: (a) of the customer information, including that relating to the customer's needs and circumstances and the customer's apparent satisfaction of the equity release provider's known eligibility criteria, that it has obtained for the purposes of MCOB 8.5A; (b) that explains why the firm has concluded that any advice given to a customer complies with MCOB 8.5A.2 R and satisfies the suitability requirement in MCOB 8.5A.5R (1); (c) of any advice
MCOB 4.7A.5R (3) means that where the advice is not provided on an unlimited range of products from across the relevant market, the assessment of suitability should not be limited to the types of regulated mortgage contracts which the firm offers. A firm cannot recommend the 'least worst' regulated mortgage contract where the firm does not have access to products appropriate to the customer's needs and circumstances. This means, for example, that a firm dealing solely in the credit-impaired
Table of modified cross-references to other rules.
This table belongs to MCOB 9.3.1 R.
Subject |
Rule or guidance |
Reference in rule or guidance |
To be read as a reference to: |
Variations |
MCOB 5.1.3R(2) |
MCOB 7 |
|
Part of loan not an equity release transaction2 2 |
MCOB 5.1.9G |
MCOB 5.6.6R(2) |
MCOB 9.4.6R(2) |
Waiver of provisions |
MCOB 5.1.10G |
MCOB 5.6 |
MCOB 9.4. |
Purpose |
MCOB 5.2.1G |
MCOB 5 |
|
Applying for a lifetime mortgage2 2 |
MCOB 5.3.2G |
||
4Messages to be given when providing information on equity release transactions |
MCOB 4.4A.1R (1), MCOB 4.4A.2 R and MCOB 4.4A.4R (1), each as applied by MCOB 8.3.1 R in modified form |
||
4Messages to be given when customer requests an execution-only sale |
|||
MCOB 9 Annex 1 R for a lifetime mortgage; MCOB 9 Annex 2 R for a home reversion plan. |
|||
MCOB 5.4.24G |
MCOB 5.6.74R |
||
4Provision of illustrations: timing |
MCOB 4.8A.14R (1), (2) or (3) |
||
Issue of offer document in place of illustration |
MCOB 5.5.3G |
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Customer's credit record |
MCOB 5.5.16R |
MCOB 5.5.15R(4) |
MCOB 9.3.12R(3) |
In meeting a request an illustration in relation to a particular equity release transaction (see MCOB 5.5.1 R (2)(d))4, the firm must not delay the provision of the illustration by requesting information other than:34(1) the information necessary to personalise the illustration, if the firm does not already know it;3(2) where the firm is uncertain whether the transaction will be an equity release transaction,3 such information as is necessary to ascertain this;33(3) where the
(1) A firm must provide the consumer with an ESIS for an MCD regulated mortgage contract before the consumer submits an application for that MCD regulated mortgage contract to an MCD mortgage lender, unless an ESIS for that MCD regulated mortgage contract has already been provided.(2) Except in the circumstances in MCOB 5A.4.2 R, a firm must provide the consumer with an ESIS for an MCD regulated mortgage contract when any of the following occurs, unless an ESIS for that MCD regulated
A firm must not enter into or arrange an execution-only sale for a regulated mortgage contract unless, except as provided in MCOB 4.8A.15 R:(1) for a new regulated mortgage contract not falling within MCOB 4.8A.10 R, the customer has identified the regulated mortgage contract he wishes to purchase, specifying to the firm at least the following information:(a) the name of the mortgage lender;(b) the rate of interest;(c) the interest rate type (that is, whether fixed, variable or
A firm must not enter into or arrange an execution-only sale for a equity release transaction unless:(1) the customer has rejected the advice given by the firm and instead requested an execution-only sale of an equity release transaction;(2) the customer has identified which particular equity release transaction he wishes to purchase, and specified to the firm at least the required additional information (where applicable);(3) after providing the required information in (2), the
An MCD mortgage lender must not cancel, or vary the terms of, an MCD regulated mortgage contract to the detriment of the consumer on the grounds that the assessment of affordability was incorrectly conducted or the information provided by the consumer prior to the agreement of the MCD regulated mortgage contract was incomplete. However, this does not apply where the MCD mortgage lender can demonstrate that the consumer knowingly withheld or falsified information relevant to the
(1) This chapter requires a firm to treat customers fairly by assessing, before deciding to:(a) enter into a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan; or(b) vary a regulated mortgage contract or home purchase plan;whether the customer will be able to repay the sums borrowed and interest (in the case of a regulated mortgage contract) or pay the sums due (in the case of a home purchase plan).(2) This chapter aims to ensure that customers are not exploited by firms that