The Bank of England may have decided to hold interest rates at 0.5%, but mortgage rates are moving and there are signs that life is getting easier for first-time buyers.
Major high-street lenders have once again begun to offer mortgages to those who do not have huge deposits. "We're seeing some of the bigger players coming back to the first-time buyer market now, when previously it was only small building societies," said Andrew Hagger of Moneynet.co.uk.
However, Ray Boulger of mortgage brokers John Charcol said the climate is as benign as it might get for first-time buyers: "The recent improvement in rates at 90% loan-to-value (LTV) won't last. The lenders are seeing pressure on margins so the small window that has recently opened up for first-time buyers, where they have the best deals that have been around for quite some time, will probably only last for few more months."
• Borrowers can choose from 80 mortgages at 90% LTV or less 
