Back in the day, my parents did everything with the Trustee Savings Bank (TSB), their mortgage, car loans, insurance – I remember my first TSB young savers pass book which came with a (now a collector’s item) Globe TSB Money Box. There was no internet or broker for “shopping around,” they didn’t need to, they had trust!

In 1995, TSB merged with Lloyds and they became Lloyds TSB. In 2009 Lloyds acquired HBOS, (Halifax & Bank of Scotland) and together they became “The Lloyds Banking Group,” dropping the TSB name altogether. Somewhere down the line we had the credit crunch and we all developed a loathing of banks, whom we no longer trusted.

Fast forward a few years and (although retaining a large stake), at the end of 2014, Lloyds put TSB up for sale on the Stock Exchange, as a stand alone bank. Not a bad move, the brand emerges relatively unscathed from the financial crisis.

As an Independent Mortgage Broker, I am a massive fan of new lenders joining the UK mortgage market, it keeps the other banks awake and forces competition. More competition = better deals for you and me!

TSB haven’t disappointed. They smashed into the mortgage market with an incredible 1.49% 2 year fixed rate mortgage for borrowers with a 60% deposit. If you can’t quite stretch to that, a 20% deposit will get you 2.29% fixed for 2 years!
Pretty good rates to kick off with, but as we now live in the 21st century, I would advise anyone looking for a mortgage to find themselves a good independent mortgage adviser and do all the shopping around you need!

Recent posts

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There was a 32% increase last year in 100% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages which are mortgages that require zero deposit. According to a recent report by chartered accountants and business advisers, Lubbock Fine, the reason behind this is buyers simply struggling to save enough for a deposit.

Many people are quite private when it comes to what is in their bank account. In this short blog, we look into what Brits have saved by age group.

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Data shows landlords could miss out on green mortgages due to expired energy performance certificates.

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Equity release is a type of mortgage that allows homeowners 55 and over to access money from their property's equity without having to leave their home. This is done by securing a loan against the house which is usually repaid by selling the property when the borrower passes away or has to move into long-term care.