Santander, Halifax, HSBC and Barclays raise fixed mortgage rates by up to 0.30% as swap rates climb

On 22 July, four of the UK's biggest lenders — Santander, Halifax, HSBC and Barclays — raised fixed mortgage rates, Santander by up to 0.30% and the others up to 0.20%. The trigger is a sharp climb in swap rates, the wholesale funding costs lenders price from, after renewed Middle East tensions lifted oil prices. For buyers, a run of falling rates has reversed almost overnight, so those mid-application may want to lock in a deal sooner; for sellers, dearer borrowing trims what buyers can stretch to on offers. This is swap-driven repricing, not a base rate move, and could steady if tensions ease before the Bank of England meets on 30 July.