We thought a client of ours was joking when they said they were being told that as an existing customer of PTsb on their mortgage that the only fixed rates they were getting offered were more than 7%.

It’s a standard residential loan rolling off a 1 year fixed rate, the ‘existing business rates’ (to you and me that’s ‘the loyal customer rates’) are so awful that we can think of no reason for why anybody would want to borrow from PTsb unless they never want fixed rates or need the cashback offer they have.

As a broker we obviously have to consider our past, present and future relationship with any lender, one way to sour that relationship is to take clients who are on a reasonable product and price and then strip them of choice (which is what a rate of over 7% effectively does) when the initial honeymoon is over.

For that reason we would remind people to consider their lender proposition very carefully and to get independent advice because when you go direct you’ll never get to hear this kind of critique from the bank staff or the people who promote them directly.