In a recent announcement the Internet arm of HSBC bank stated that it would be restricting its mortgage lending activities by no longer offering mortgages to those that are not customers of the bank already. Customers of first direct will still be able to access mortgages from the lender even if they do not currently have a first direct mortgage, providing they meet the other eligibility criteria.

First direct is one of many banks and building societies that have had to restrict their lending over recent months as a result of the global credit crunch. Many have had to take various mortgage products off the shelves or have started to offer mortgages only to existing customers or those that live within a certain radius of the branch. (more…)