ING sets up advice hotline for those with at-risk mortgages

ING has set up a Mortgage Hotline (Hypotheek Hulplijn), which homeowners can call to get more information about re-financing or otherwise changing how they pay off their mortgage.

ING has sent letters to 20.000 customers who are at the greatest risk of financial difficulty, such as first-time homeowners and small-scale entrepreneurs, encouraging them to call the hotline.

As reported by the Volkskrant, ING received 42% more in extra repayments than in November 2011, while the number of owners saving in order to pay off the mortgage early has gone up from 21 percent to 33 percent.

These figures indicate that homeowners are rushing to pay off their mortgages to avoid losses as house prices continue to fall. According to Statistics Netherlands, house prices are down 8% from last year, and are currently near the equivalent of 2004 levels.

Mortgage customers struggling to make their payments can call the ING hotline can learn more about ways to temporarily ease the pressure of paying off their loan. They will also have access to budgetary advice from the National Institute for Family Finance Information (Nibud).