It will come as no surprise to read that total mortgage lending in 2009 dropped in 2009. Total lending was £143.7 billion, down by 43 per cent in comparison with the previous ear. However these figures are better than some analysts had predicted.

In the world of finance, where there’s winners there must be losers. In this case the winners are home owners who are benefitting from better mortgage rates at the expense of savers.

Variable rate mortgage deals are proving to be all the rage in the current low interest rate environment according to mortgage broker, John Charcol.