first direct

As of September 2026, I’d shortlist these UK mortgage lenders first. I’m not saying any one lender is “best” for everyone — mortgage pricing changes daily and depends heavily on your LTV, income, credit file, property type, term, fees and whether you’re buying or remortgaging. But these are the brands that are both widely used and repeatedly show up in market-share, rate, service or awards data.

Best UK mortgage lenders to check first

My practical “top 10” shortlist

If I were comparing as a UK borrower, I’d start with:

1. Nationwide Building Society — best all-rounder; strong for first-time buyers and customer satisfaction.
2. Halifax — huge market presence, broad criteria, strong service recognition.
3. Lloyds Bank — big mainstream lender; often worth checking direct as well as via broker.
4. NatWest — strong remortgage/product-transfer option.
5. HSBC — often competitive for lower-risk borrowers and remortgages.
6. first direct — strong rate-led option, especially fixed-rate and remortgage deals.
7. Barclays — good to check for large loans, home movers and mainstream cases.
8. Santander — good online/service reputation and regularly competitive.
9. Yorkshire / Coventry / Leeds / Skipton building societies — worth checking, especially where criteria or niche products matter.
10. The Mortgage Works / Paragon / Aldermore / Pepper / Kensington / Accord — not necessarily “mainstream best buys”, but important for buy-to-let, self-employed, complex or adverse-credit cases.

Products most people should compare

For a standard residential mortgage, compare these by total cost over the deal period, not just the headline rate:

• 2-year fixed — more flexibility if you expect rates to fall or may move soon.
• 5-year fixed — more payment certainty; often popular for households wanting stability.
• Tracker / variable deals — only if you can afford payments rising.
• Product transfer with your existing lender — often simpler and may avoid a full remortgage process.
• Offset mortgage — useful if you hold substantial cash savings; Coventry is a well-known name in this area.
• Green mortgage / green reward — check if your property is energy efficient or you’re buying a new-build; lenders such as Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide, Virgin Money and Yorkshire BS have had green-related products. (which.co.uk) |

How I’d actually choose

Use a whole-of-market mortgage broker and also compare direct-only deals yourself. MoneyHelper says shopping around with a whole-of-market broker can make sense, especially if you’re comparing options across the market, and MoneySavingExpert recommends comparing a broker’s best result against deals the broker may not have access to. (moneyhelper.org.uk)

For most borrowers, the “best” deal is usually the one with the lowest true cost after adding:

• interest rate
• arrangement/product fee
• valuation fee
• legal fees or cashback
• early repayment charges
• overpayment flexibility
• portability if you may move
• likelihood of approval based on your circumstances

And the standard UK warning applies: your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

The best mortgage lenders in the UK depend on what you want: for overall customer satisfaction, Nationwide is one of the strongest names; for big high-street choice and scale, Halifax, NatWest, Santander, HSBC, and Barclays are among the most commonly used lenders.

If you want the most practical shortlist of brands people actually use, these are the standouts:

• Nationwide — consistently near the top in customer-satisfaction comparisons and noted by Which? as a recommended provider.
• Halifax — a major mainstream lender and a frequent “all-rounder” choice in lender roundups.
• NatWest — one of the biggest UK mortgage lenders, widely used for standard residential and remortgage borrowing.
• Santander — another very large high-street lender, commonly used for competitive mainstream mortgages.
• HSBC — often highlighted for product range and competitive rates.
• Barclays — a large lender with strong market presence and decent customer rankings in some surveys.
• Coventry Building Society — often well regarded by borrowers who want a building society option, including greener-borrower products.
• First Direct — smaller mortgage share, but frequently strong on customer service in satisfaction surveys.
• Virgin Money — commonly appears in customer-service rankings and mainstream comparisons.
• Leeds/Yorkshire/Skipton/Principality building societies — more niche than the big banks, but often score well for service.

A useful way to think about it:

If you want a single practical recommendation for most UK borrowers, Nationwide and Halifax are the safest starting points, with NatWest, Santander, and HSBC as the next most common high-street options.

If you tell me your situation — first-time buyer, remortgage, buy-to-let, low deposit, self-employed, or bad credit — I can narrow this to the best lenders for that exact case.

The UK mortgage market is dominated by a handful of large banks and building societies (the "Big Six" or so), which handle the vast majority of lending. These are the lenders most people actually use, based on gross lending volumes and outstanding balances. Customer satisfaction, rate competitiveness, and service vary, with building societies often scoring highly in surveys like Which?.

Recent data (2024–2025 lending figures, with trends into 2026) shows the top lenders by market share include:

• Lloyds Banking Group (Lloyds Bank and Halifax) — consistently the largest or near-largest by gross lending (around 19% share in 2024 data).
• Nationwide Building Society — very close behind or second, with strong growth and the largest building society presence.
• NatWest Group, Barclays, HSBC, and Santander UK — rounding out the major players (typically 6–11% shares each).

Smaller or specialist lenders (e.g., Coventry, Yorkshire, Leeds, or Principality building societies) appear in competitive deals and awards but have lower overall volume.

Top Recommendations by Popularity and Customer Feedback

These stand out for a combination of high usage (market share) and strong reviews/satisfaction from sources like Which? customer surveys (2025 data), Moneyfacts awards shortlists, and deal comparisons (as of early September 2026).

• Nationwide Building Society: Frequently tops customer satisfaction tables (80% score in Which? surveys, joint highest) and is the only lender named a Which? Recommended Provider in recent analysis for balancing high satisfaction with competitive rates across borrower types. Excellent for clarity of statements, online access, and first-time buyers/home movers. Strong market presence makes it a go-to for many.

• HSBC (and first direct): HSBC has grown its market share modestly and often features in top rate tables and awards shortlists (e.g., best fixed-rate or remortgage categories). first direct (its digital arm) regularly ranks among the cheapest for typical borrowers in Which? analyses and scores well for service. Good for competitive rates and digital users.

• Barclays: Strong performer among the big banks in customer scores (around 75% in Which? data) and frequently shortlisted for fixed-rate, variable, and remortgage awards. Competitive on deals and service feedback.

• Santander UK: Significant market share with notable lending growth in recent years; often appears in best-deal tables (e.g., 2-year and 5-year fixes) and awards shortlists. Solid all-rounder for many borrowers.

• Lloyds Bank / Halifax: Highest overall lending volumes, so widely used. Reliable for a broad range of products; Halifax often features in deal comparisons. Customer scores are respectable but generally behind top building societies.

Other notable mentions for good service or specific deals include building societies like Coventry, Yorkshire, Principality, Leeds, and Skipton (often high in satisfaction or awards) and NatWest (solid market share).

Key Advice for Choosing

• "Best" depends on your circumstances — LTV (deposit size), credit score, whether you're a first-time buyer, remortgaging, or moving home, and fixed vs. tracker rates all matter. As of early September 2026, competitive 2-year fixed remortgage rates for lower LTVs were around 4.5–4.8%, with 5-year fixes similar; fees vary (often £1,000+). Always compare live deals.
• Use a whole-of-market broker for personalised recommendations—they access deals from 90+ lenders and can help with eligibility. Over 80% of new mortgages now go through brokers.
• Check sites like Moneyfactscompare, Which?, or MoneySuperMarket for latest rates, and consider awards like Moneyfacts or MoneyAge for peer recognition.
• Customer satisfaction is generally high across major lenders (most 70%+ in surveys), but building societies edge out on service for many.

Rates and rankings change frequently, so verify current offers and get advice tailored to you (e.g., via a regulated broker or comparison tool). Your home may be repossessed if you don't keep up repayments.