Revolut and Starling are among the leaders of the “challenger” banks bringing the digital revolution to the mainstream. Regular Altfi visitors to our News site will be familiar with both banks. Our friends at Altfi bring news of the latest digital incursion into the mainstream.
Nearly six months on from its acquisition of Fleet Mortgages for £50m, Starling has reportedly bought another mortgage book for a much bigger sum.
According to This is Money, Starling Bank has bought a £1bn mortgage portfolio from Kensington Mortgages.
The alleged purchase is considerably larger than its purchase of Fleet Mortgages, which marked its first and only acquisition to date.
Kensington Mortgages provides home loans to customers who are likely to be overlooked by more traditional providers because they are self-employed for example.
Despite the report, Starling declined to provide a comment to AltFi.
If true, the £1bn purchase would add significantly to Starling’s loan book and, if well-managed, could be a boost to its valuation, which currently sits at £1.1bn following a £272m investment earlier this year.
Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide
That figure is the result of over £24 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.
All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.
So here’s our guide to the process:
The ISA allowance for 2020/21 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.
Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.
Risk: Security, Access, Yield
Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.