Sweet release

Equity release mortgages have attracted a bad press in the past and lenders have had to work hard to restore public confidence. However, now the market is taking off, are they taking on too much risk? William Rhode investigates

Growing consumer confidence in equity release mortgages and product innovation could soon see the market in the UK take off. But while increased regulation has helped bolster consumer confidence in the sector, some say lenders may be taking on excessive risk in their eagerness to tap the developing market. To make matters worse, methods of hedging the risks associated with those deals may be limited.

"From a current level of roughly £1.3 billion in annual sales, growth in the equity release