IN Kirsteen Paterson’s article “Act now to stop evictions ‘disaster’, report says” (June 1) she quotes Callum Chomczuk, national director of CIH Scotland, as saying: “The burden cannot simply be put onto landlords. That could lead to defaults on mortgages and enforced sales.”
Recently the UK Government indicated the mortgage payment window should extend for another three months. In the earlier article “Moves made to extend mortgage breaks” (May 23), Greg Russell quotes Laura Suter of investment platform AJ Bell as saying: “UK banks were already set to make more than £800 million more in additional interest by people taking a mortgage holiday, and that will leap up now the period has been extended”.
That is obscene given the severe circumstances a vast number of people find themselves in.
READ MORE: Act now to stop evictions ‘disaster’, after coronavirus report says
Why, when government spokespeople and the media discuss financial struggles resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, are banks never mentioned? Why didn’t the UK Government just stop mortgage and loan repayments? Landlords would then not be in financial difficulties if rent payments were also suspended. All this would reduce support needed from the public purse.
If banks’ costs exceed income in the short term, won’t they have the money to bridge this period, or won’t they just create money electronically as they already do? Even if they made some losses, why should they be immune,and don’t they owe us payback for the bank bail-out for the 2008 financial crisis, which they caused?
Obviously banks will object. I’m sure they would prefer to gain from increased repossessions, from extra loans people struggling will take out to overcome coronavirus-related financial problems, not to mention the additional profits banks will make from increased national debt.
Jim Stamper
Bearsden
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