Latest mortgage figures show average homebuyer mortgage surpasses 2008 peak levels and hits record high in Q3 2022 – BPFI
Mortgage drawdowns and approvals show continued growth driven by significant switching activity but the pipeline for home purchase mortgages is weaker than earlier this year
Monday 31st October 2022 – Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has today published the latest figures from the BPFI Mortgage Drawdowns Report for Q3 2022 and the BPFI Mortgage Approvals Report for September 2022.
Overall, the reports show continued growth in both mortgage approvals and drawdowns in Q3 2022 driven by a further jump in mortgage switching however September’s approvals figures show the pipeline for home purchase mortgages is weaker than earlier this year. Notably the report also shows that the average homebuyer mortgage (which combines both FTBs and mover purchasers) stood at €284,623, surpassing levels seen during the peak of the market (€268,220 in Q1 2008.)
The following are the key figures from the Mortgage Drawdowns Report for Q3 2022.
- A total of 14,851 new mortgages to the value of €4,057 million were drawn down by borrowers during the third quarter of 2022.
- This represents an increase of 29.4% in volume and 45.7% in value on the corresponding third quarter of 2021.
- FTBs remained the single largest segment by volume (44.3%) and by value (43.9%).
- Non-purchase mortgage activity, which includes switching and top-ups, grew by 115.8% in volume terms year on year to 5,081 and by 175.8% year-on-year to €1,297 million over the same period.
- The average mortgage drawdown value for home mortgages, €284,623, again set new records. The average FTB mortgage drawdown jumped to €270,568 in Q3 2022 from €243,271 a year earlier, while the average mover purchase drawdown rose to €315,463 from €284,836 over the same period.
In addition, BPFI also published today the latest figures from the BPFI Mortgage Approvals Report for September 2022:
- A total of 5,350 mortgages were approved in September 2022 – some 2,460 were for FTBs (46%) of total volume) while mover purchasers accounted for 1,063 (19.9%).
- The number of mortgages approved in September fell by 3.5% month-on-month and rose by 12.2% year-on-year.
- Mortgages approved in September 2022 were valued at €1,472 million – of which FTBs accounted for €665 million (45.2%) and €345 million by mover purchasers (23.4%).
- The value of mortgages approved in September fell by 3% month-on-month and rose by 22.1% year-on-year.
- Non-purchase mortgage activity, which includes switching and top-ups, grew by 98.7% in volume terms year on year to 1,717 and by 140.2% year-on-year to €443 million over the same period.
Speaking on today’s publications, Brian Hayes, Chief Executive, BPFI said: “Looking at the latest mortgage figures, our reports today are showing continued growth both in approvals and drawdowns driven in large part by the high level of switching activity we are seeing in the market. Year on year we can see the number as well as the value of non-purchase mortgage drawdowns (which are mainly switching but also include top-ups) more than doubled in Q3 2022 reflecting the fact that mortgage customers are seeking out better rates in the wake of the interest rate increases recently announced by the ECB.”
“One of the most notable points from this quarter’s drawdowns figures is the new record high which has been set for the average homebuyer mortgage which has now hit €284,623 and is over €28,000 more than it was in Q3 2021 (€256,547). This comes on the back of strong house prices inflation and the continuing challenge of supply in the housing market.”
“Interestingly when we look at the types of properties being purchased we can see that FTBs have come to dominate the market for new/self-builds accounting for 78.2% of the value of home mortgages on new properties in Q3 2022.”
“Looking at the pipeline of mortgage activity through our latest approvals figures, approvals continued to grow in September 2022 with this growth driven by the high level of switching which is currently underway and likely a response to recent ECB decisions to increase interest rates. During the month of September non-purchase mortgages, primarily made of up those switching, accounted for 32% of all approvals, up from 18% during the same period last year. By contrast FTB and mover purchase approval volumes fell year on year in September 2022 and the annualised volume of purchase mortgages fell for the fifth time in the past six months, dropping by 0.65% in the twelve months ending September 2022, pointing to a weaker pipeline than earlier this year, albeit form historically high levels”
Data Series
All mortgage approvals data from January 2011 onwards is available in Microsoft Excel format (*.xls) in the BPFI Mortgage Approvals report data series. The BPFI Mortgage Approvals report data series since January 2011 is available to download here.
Note: Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) represents the banking, payments and fintech sector in Ireland. Together with its affiliates, the Federation of International Banks in Ireland and the Fintech & Payments Association of Ireland, BPFI has 100 member institutions and associates, including licensed domestic and foreign banks and institutions operating in the financial marketplace here.
Contact: Jillian Heffernan, Director of Public Affairs, jillian.heffernan@bpfi.ie 087 9016880
