Average product lifespan shortens dramatically this month

March 22, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill

Property Market

This month so far has seen a dramatic shortening of the average mortgage product lifespan, according to the latest data to be issued by Moneyfacts.

The data shows the current average product lifespan is 14 days. By way of comparison, last month it was 33 days. It is necessary to go back to the late summer of 2023 to find the last month when the average lifespan shortened this much. The situation is even more severe than it was during the infamous mini-Budget fiasco of October 2022, when the average product lifespan dropped to 15 days.

The main reason for the present situation is the Iran war, which has had an impact on swap rates. As swap rates have risen due to increases in gilt prices and inflation, so lenders have been forced to withdraw a lot of their fixed rate mortgage products.

However, although this will be a cause of concern for mortgage advisors, the Moneyfacts data does contain brighter news too. It shows that the number of products on the market is still more than 7,000 – despite a drop compared with February.

Rachel Springall is a finance specialist at Moneyfacts. She was quoted by Mortgage Solutions as offering further encouragement to advisors:

“Lenders may well pull more products until the future path of interest rates becomes clearer, but choice typically bounces back after short-term unrest.”

The data indicates that average rates have risen in March, but only by a small amount.

This means advisors with CeMAP training will temporarily be under greater time pressure to complete applications.