On Tuesday 27 February 2024, Dr Matthew Sparkes, Assistant Professor in Sociology, gave evidence at a parliamentary briefing on the new Mortgage Prisoner campaign.
Mortgage prisoners are existing borrowers unable to switch their mortgages to a new deal, even if up-to-date with their payments. This is an important issue in the UK where short-term fixed-rate mortgages are common and an inability to remortgage can mean borrowers are forced to pay higher standard variable interest rates (‘SVR’), with some paying rates as high as 10%.
Dr Sparkes provided an overview of his research with mortgage prisoners investigating the impact of credit scores on their situation and mortgage prisoners’ understanding and awareness of them.
The briefing was chaired by Martin Docherty-Hughes MP, who has tabled an early day motion calling on the government to act. Representatives of the Mortgage Prisoners Action Group provided background to their new campaign.