It seems everything has changed with this huge Bank – that own a few of our banks here – Alliance & Leicester being the one in question today – since the budget last month.
A client of mine recently applied for a mortgage with them. His income was well over their minimum requirements, he has a perfect credit history and has had significant savings with the bank for more than 10 years.
You would think they’d jump at the chance to give him a mortgage…..
No. The reason they gave is…..
He doesn’t have a copy of his paper Self Assessment return issued by HMRC.
I spoke to the mortgage advisor because I couldn’t believe this. The government are pushing everyone to file everything online. Once you make the decision to file your self assessment online they no longer send you a paper form to complete – very sensible I thought up until now.
I explained to the mortgage advisor today how easy it is to “amend” the copy of a hand written self assessment return with figures to suit the mortgage application – but she wasn’t interested.
The underwriters will not accept an electronic version of the self assessment return that I can prove beyond doubt has the figures on it as declared to the Tax Office – not acceptable she says. It has to be a handwritten form 
This beggars belief. They are happy to accept fraudulent (possibly) figures on a handwritten form – but nothing else.
Not even an Accountants Certificate 
If this is the New future the coalition government is letting our banks get away with – I do not want to be a part of it.
~Ray
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