First Mortgage help in Northern Ireland

timbelfast

Hi, this is my first post, so please be gentle.

As the title states, I am trying to get my first house.


A little information about me...
I am married, currently renting a house and in full-time employment.

I have a bad credit history due to be made redundant a few years back.

My wife is originally from Thailand and has a residents visa and is in full-time employment, but has no credit history, ie has never had a loan or credit card or anything like that.


Now, my question is, how easy would it be for her to obtain a mortgage with no credit history?

The propertys we are looking at are in the 70K range.

We will be able to put around half down as a deposit.

Are there any lenders out there lending to first time buyers in our situation?

My wife has applied for an 'initial credit card' in the hope of starting up some sort of credit trail.

Any advice on what we should do?

marathonic

I think you need to see a broker.

I'm applying for a mortgage in Northern Ireland at the moment too.

I'm a Republic of Ireland resident with no UK Credit History. However, I do have a UK Bank Account and UK Employment (held for 6 years).

When I saw a broker, the options she gave me were Northern Bank, Ulster Bank and (some local building society the name of which I don't know).

I applied via Ulster Bank the day before the current fiasco started and the application is just being sent through to head office today.

Although not requested, I did provide a copy of my Irish Credit Report.

It may be different for you (it's possible that these banks only lend to Irish Residents because they've a presence in the Republic too).

Like I say, you need to see a broker.

leftieM

Make sure you are on the electoral register.

anotherginger

marathonic wrote: »

it's possible that these banks only lend to Irish Residents because they've a presence in the Republic too

I think the clue is in the names of the banks! Ulster and Northern?! It's pretty obvious (well, it should be ) that you can be British or Irish as both have their HQs in Belfast.

(you may of course be referring to Ulster Bank Ireland Limited rather than Ulster Bank Limited, which is separate a entity of the same group)

marathonic

anotherginger wrote: »

I think the clue is in the names of the banks! Ulster and Northern?! It's pretty obvious (well, it should be ) that you can be British or Irish as both have their HQs in Belfast.

(you may of course be referring to Ulster Bank Ireland Limited rather than Ulster Bank Limited, which is separate a entity of the same group)

The name doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is, if I go to an Ulster Bank branch in the Republic of Ireland (where I currently live) and apply for a loan, they can do a search in my ICB (Irish Credit Bureau) record and come up with a pretty good credit history.

As I applied for a mortgage in Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, they couldn't do a credit search on my ICB (as they are in a different country and, although named the same, are a different company altogether and don't have membership of the ICB).

I had to request a personal copy of my credit report in the Republic of Ireland and hand it into the branch in Northern Ireland together with my other documentation.

anotherginger

marathonic wrote: »

The name doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is, if I go to an Ulster Bank branch in the Republic of Ireland (where I currently live) and apply for a loan, they can do a search in my ICB (Irish Credit Bureau) record and come up with a pretty good credit history.

As I applied for a mortgage in Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, they couldn't do a credit search on my ICB (as they are in a different country and, although named the same, are a different company altogether and don't have membership of the ICB).

I had to request a personal copy of my credit report in the Republic of Ireland and hand it into the branch in Northern Ireland together with my other documentation.

They are different banks, so obviously the name matters!? If I walked into Ulster Bank Ireland to withdraw money they would tell me to sling my hook as I bank with Ulster Bank. The fact of the matter is that they operate separately as you have discovered.

Anyway, for the OP. I'd make sure you are both on electoral roll and also that you both have proof of address for your current address. Easier to have utilities in both names and turn off online bank statements! It may be better to use a broker for advice on your specific circumstances.

marathonic

anotherginger wrote: »

The fact of the matter is that they operate separately as you have discovered.

Yes, that's EXACTLY what I was getting at... and I knew this all along - your first post gave me the impression that you thought mortgages are available to Ulster Bank customers on both sides of the border (regardless of which side they reside) JUST because it's an Irish bank. Likewise with Northern Bank which operates in the Republic as National Irish Bank.