Saffron for Intermediaries has today announced a series of enhancements to its Owner Occupied range, reinforcing its commitment to evolving criteria and delivering practical lending solutions for customers with increasingly complex borrowing profiles.
Enhanced First Time Buyer eligibility
In response to broker feedback, Saffron has expanded First Time Buyer (FTB) eligibility across its full Owner Occupied suite, reflecting the changing profile of modern FTBs who are purchasing with bigger deposits, often supported by family members.
FTBs can now access products up to and including 90% LTV across the Owner Occupied range, while retaining exclusive access to Saffron’s dedicated FTB products – including its JBSP offering (up to 95% LTV inclusive of fees) – which feature no arrangement or valuation fees. This provides brokers with greater flexibility to match the right solution to each client’s individual circumstances.
New five-year fixed product for Lending into Retirement
Saffron has also introduced a new five-year fixed rate product within its Lending into Retirement proposition, designed to further support borrowing in later life.
Affordability for this product is assessed using the customer’s pay rate rather than a stressed rate, helping eligible borrowers maximise borrowing potential with greater confidence and certainty. The maximum term is based on the applicant’s age at application and informed by ONS data, providing a clear and transparent framework for term setting. For joint applications, both incomes can be considered (unlike Saffron’s RIO products, which assess affordability on the lowest surviving income) offering increased flexibility and improved access to borrowing.
This addition further strengthens Saffron’s later life proposition, supporting borrowers whose income structures and retirement plans require a more tailored underwriting approach.
Tony Hall, Head of Business Development at Saffron for Intermediaries, said: “These enhancements reflect our continued focus on adapting to the evolving needs of today’s borrowers. Whether it’s supporting First Time Buyers who are entering the market with more complex deposit structures, or making lending into retirement more achievable. Our aim is to ensure brokers have the flexibility and criteria support they need to place more nuanced cases with confidence.
“It also demonstrates our commitment to listening to broker feedback and evolving our proposition accordingly. By refining eligibility and introducing targeted product innovation, we are continuing to strengthen our Owner Occupied range in a way that reflects how modern borrowers earn, borrow and plan for the future.”
