To obtain a mortgage, first-time homebuyers in the UK need to save a deposit amounting to about ** percent of the property purchase price. The higher the property value and the loan amount, the higher the deposit. In 2024, the average first-time buyer deposit in the UK was about ****** British pounds, but in the most expensive region, Greater London, the deposit amount was more than double. The share of the deposit was also much higher than in other regions in the UK. How has the house price for first-time buyers changed over time? Housing bought by first-time buyers has become increasingly pricier since 2000, making it harder for renters to get on the property ladder. By 2024, the average house price had tripled. The price also varied in different regions, with the North East being the least expensive and Greater London – the most expensive. Which are the most affordable areas for first-time buyers? While housing in certain areas can be pricy, this does not necessarily make it unaffordable, as the standard of living may also be higher. In 2020, the most affordable towns for first-time buyers were found in the North West region (Burnley) and Scotland (East Ayshire, North Ayshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire).

Despite the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting that the actual average deposit required to buy a home was ** thousand British pounds (GBP), Santander's survey of potential first-time homeowners found the average target deposit was in some cases much lower. Even in London, where the average property price in early 2019 was over *** thousand British pounds, potential first-time homeowners had a target deposit of around **** percent of the property price (**** thousand GBP).

The issue with having a lower deposit for a new home is that it puts buyers into a higher loan-to-value mortgage ratio. Those in the North East looked to achieve the highest deposit to property price ratio at ******* percent.

Most first-time buyers in England put down a deposit of ** to ** percent of the house price in 2024. Mortgages with a ** to ** percent deposit became more popular since 2022, increasing from ** percent to **** percent of all mortgages in 2024. The share of cash purchases briefly rose in 2023 but dropped in 2024.

Building society revenue is anticipated to grow at a compound annual rate of 27.4% over the five years through 2025-26 to £51.7 billion, including estimated growth of 2.7% in 2025-26. Building societies have benefited from an influx of re-mortgaging activity, as homeowners have sought to lock in lower rates before expected interest rate rises. However, societies faced challenging operating conditions, including intense competition from other financial institutions like retail banks. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the Bank of England underwent aggressive rate hikes, aiding interest income. Despite the growing base rate environment feeding through to elevated mortgage rates, the residential property market proved resilient for the majority of 2022-23, resulting in building societies reporting huge boosts to their net interest income. In 2023-24, rates continued to rise, lifting revenue growth further despite intensifying mortgage price competition. However, deposit costs picked up during the year, placing downward pressure on net interest income and profitability. Yet, revenue continued to skyrocket thanks to healthy interest income from mortgage lending in the higher base rate environment. In 2024-25, sticky inflation resulted in interest rates staying higher for longer, aiding revenue growth. However, rate cuts did occur as inflation normalised, contributing to a slower rate of revenue growth, which was partially offset by a healthy housing market. In 2025-26, revenue is set to continue growing as mortgage lending gathers momentum, with buyers making the most of lower borrowing costs. However, a declining base rate will continue to erode interest income and further slow revenue in 2025-26. Building society revenue is anticipated to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.5% over the five years through 2029-30 to reach £58.5 billion. The UK housing market will continue to grow thanks to lower borrowing costs and aid interest income in the coming years through healthier mortgage lending. Revenue growth will disperse outside of the capital in regions like the North West, Yorkshire and the West Midlands due to the government's levelling up agenda and private multinationals expanding their presence elsewhere.

The data in this data set was provided by HM Treasury and details mortgage completions on properties supported by Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee completions, by local authority, England. The data set covers the period 8 October 2013 to 30 June 2014.

The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme opened on 8 October 2013 and is available across the United Kingdom. Under the scheme the government offers lenders the option to purchase a guarantee on mortgage loans where the borrower has a deposit of between 5% and 20%. The scheme can be used for mortgages on both new build and existing homes, by first time buyers, home movers and those remortgaging. In order to qualify for a loan supported by the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee, there are a number of eligibility criteria which are set out in the scheme rules.

The guarantee compensates participating mortgage lenders for a portion of net losses suffered in the event of repossession. The guarantee applies down to 80% of the purchase value of the guaranteed property covering 95% of these net losses. The lender therefore retains a 5% risk in the portion of losses covered by the guarantee. This ensures that the lender retains some risk in every mortgage originated. For example, the scheme is not available on buy-to-let mortgages or second homes, and the property value must be £600,000 or less.

Over the life of the scheme the government will make available up to £12 billion of guarantees, which is sufficient to support up to £130 billion of high loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages.

For further information see
Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme Quarterly Statistics.

Over the five years through 2024-25, UK banks' revenue is expected to climb at a compound annual rate of 1.7% to £128.6 billion, including an anticipated hike of 2% in 2024-25. After the financial crisis in 2007-08, low interest rates limited banks' interest in loans, hitting income. At the same time, a stricter regulatory environment, including increased capital requirements introduced under the Basel III banking reforms and ring-fencing regulations, constricted lending activity. To protect their profitability, banks such as Lloyds have shut the doors of many branches and made substantial job cuts. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the Bank of England adopted aggressive tightening of monetary policy, hiking interest rates to rein in spiralling inflation. The higher base rate environment lifted borrowing costs, driving interest income for banks, who reported skyrocketing profits in 2023-24. Although profit grew markedly, pressure to pass on higher rates to savers and fierce competition weighed on net interest income at the tail end of the year, the difference between interest paid and interest received. UK banks are set to continue performing well in 2024-25 as the higher interest rate environment maintains healthy interest income, aiding revenue growth. However, net interest income is set to dip marginally due to higher deposit costs and narrow margins on mortgage loans. With further rate cuts priced into markets, savings rates will drop in 2024-25, stemming the drop in net interest income. Over the five years through 2029-30, industry revenue is forecast to swell at a compound annual rate of 3.3% to reach £151.1 billion. Regulatory restrictions, tougher stress tests and stringent lending criteria will also hamper revenue growth. Competition is set to remain fierce – both internally from lenders that deliver their services exclusively via digital channels and externally from alternative finance providers, like peer-to-peer lending platforms. The possibility of legislation like the Edinburgh reforms will drive investment and lending activity in the coming years, if introduced. However, concerns surrounding the repercussions of less stringent capital requirements and the already fragile nature of the UK financial system pose doubt as to whether any significant changes will be made.

Since 2015, the gap between the cost of buying a home and renting has grown, with homeownership becoming increasingly less affordable. In the ***** ******* of 2024, the house price to rent ratio in the UK stood at *****. That meant that house price growth has outpaced rental growth by nearly ** percent between 2015 and 2024. The UK's house price to rent ratio was slightly below the average Euro area ratio. House price to income ratio in the UK Another indicator for housing affordability is the house price to income ratio, which is calculated by dividing nominal house prices by the nominal disposable income per head. The ratio saw an overall increase between 2015, which was the base year, and 2022. After that, the index declined, but remained close to the average for the Euro area. Is it more affordable to rent or buy? There are many things to be considered when comparing buying to renting, such as the ability to qualify for a mortgage and whether prospective homebuyers have sufficient savings for a deposit. Generally, purchasing a home is more affordable than renting one. However, the average monthly savings first-time buyers can achieve have been on the decline. In East of England, where house prices have increased rapidly over the past few years, it was cheaper to rent than to buy in 2022.

The retail banking sector in Hong Kong has shown growth despite the recent impact of COVID-19. Residential mortgages and retail deposits recorded the highest compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) in the region, with the exception of China. Consumer credit lending showed a strong CAGR in personal loans, again only trailing the Chinese market. However, growth across credit cards was weaker as economic activity decreased due to the pandemic. The Hong Kong market has witnessed a triple threat over the last few years. Its economy entered a recession in 2017 as geopolitical forces such as the US-China trade war had effects on the territory. Domestic political instability compounded this uncertainty, and COVID-19 became the metaphorical cherry on top in 2020. The retail, tourism, hospitality, and transport sectors were all negatively impacted by the global decrease in travel as well as by regional travel bans and nationwide lockdowns. Overall, Hong Kong as a territory and a financial center has fared better during the pandemic than other markets – but a recent surge in cases has had significant effects on growth and recovery. Read More

Repeat buyers in the United States have consistently had a larger percentage of the purchase price to put down as a down payment when buying a home compared with first-time buyers. In 2023, repeat buyers had 19 percent of the purchase price on hand, whereas first-time buyers only had eight percent of theirs.

In May 2025, global inflation rates and central bank interest rates showed significant variation across major economies. Most economies initiated interest rate cuts from mid-2024 due to declining inflationary pressures. The U.S., UK, and EU central banks followed a consistent pattern of regular rate reductions throughout late 2024. In early 2025, Russia maintained the highest interest rate at 20 percent, while Japan retained the lowest at 0.5 percent. Varied inflation rates across major economies The inflation landscape varies considerably among major economies. China had the lowest inflation rate at -0.1 percent in May 2025. In contrast, Russia maintained a high inflation rate of 9.9 percent. These figures align with broader trends observed in early 2025, where China had the lowest inflation rate among major developed and emerging economies, while Russia's rate remained the highest. Central bank responses and economic indicators Central banks globally implemented aggressive rate hikes throughout 2022-23 to combat inflation. The European Central Bank exemplified this trend, raising rates from 0 percent in January 2022 to 4.5 percent by September 2023. A coordinated shift among major central banks began in mid-2024, with the ECB, Bank of England, and Federal Reserve initiating rate cuts, with forecasts suggesting further cuts through 2025 and 2026.