We applied through Atom Bank for a remortgage to free up some equity in our house. The rate was competitive and the terms of the mortgage appealed to my Wife and I so we instructed our broker to progress. Affordability was fine, documentation was provided and a decision in principal was referred to the underwriters which I am told is common practice with a new mortgage lender. Digital required much more documentation than I have ever provided to a lender before, some of which was completely unnecessary. We were assigned a legal company for the conveyancing and a valuation visit was also booked. Out of the blue I received notification from the mortgage broker asking if I could explain transactions on my bank statement which showed adhoc payments being transferred to my parents....sums of money I choose to save each month, often coming back in to the account. I gave the explanation as required and thought no more of it as these payments were well within my surplus. After a week with no news I received a call from my broker advising that Digital 'didn't like the look of the payments to my parents' and had declined our application......3 weeks into the process! I am now in a position of having to push through the remortgage with another mainstream lender (whom, may I add, instantly approved us using all the same documentation) with only 3 weeks until my fixed rate ends.
My wife and I have exemplary credit records, have never missed a payment on any debt and passed the affordability check with ease.
Digital offer a very appealing rate but seemingly use odd criteria to determine whether or not to lend. If there was a solid reason for our rejection other than 'we don't like the look of the payments' I could appreciate their stance however I am left baffled and almost out of time......
EDIT following a response from Atom on TrustPilot and a phone call with them......
This was apparently a stress test taking into account the amount I save each month - which is obviously something I can stop immediately. Conclusion - they don't seem capable of assessing affordability correctly. The stress test was attempted with interest rates reaching 5% which I'm sure you'll agree isn't going to happen anytime soon. In addition I was applying for a fixed rate!
Reviewed on: 8th August 2017
