Offset Mortgages
A specific type of flexible mortgage common in the United Kingdom is an offset mortgage. The key feature of an offset mortgage is the ability to reduce the interest charged by offsetting a credit balance against the mortgage debt. For example, if the mortgage balance is £200,000 and the credit balance is £50,000, interest is only charged on the net balance of £150,000. Some lenders have a single account for all transactions, this is often referred to as a current account mortgage.
Lenders normally set a credit limit at outset of the mortgage and allow borrowers to credit and redraw up to this limit. This limit may be periodically reviewed. The lender may place restrictions on the lending limits towards the end of the mortgage term with the aim of ensuring capital repayment. However many lenders allow full drawdown up to the end date of the mortgage where the loan must be repaid. This can cause great problems for undisciplined borrowers and those approaching retirement if the lender is unwilling to extend the term (especially on the grounds of age).
Other lenders have multiple accounts. As a minimum there is a mortgage account and a deposit account. Often the lender allows multiple accounts for credit balances and sometimes for debit balances. These different accounts allow the borrowers to notionally split their money according to purpose whilst all accounts are offset each day against the mortgage debt.
Read more about this topic: Flexible Mortgage