Nottingham Building Society has said it will allow foreign nationals based in the UK to access their overseas credit history when applying for a mortgage.

The move has been made possible through a new partnership with cross-border credit bureau Nova Credit.

The new mortgage range, facilitated by the FinTech's cross-border credit technology, will primarily be available to borrowers entering the UK on a Skilled Worker or Health and Social Care Worker visa.

The building society will now have access to credit data across a number of countries worldwide, including India; Philippines; Australia; US; Canada; Germany; Austria; Spain; Switzerland; Mexico; Dominican Republic; Kenya; and Korea.

“Many thousands of people come to the UK to work and indeed, we rely on skilled foreign workers in critical areas like healthcare and technology,” said Praven Subbramoney, chief lending officer, Nottingham Building Society. “But up until now many have been unable to obtain a mortgage within the first two years of being in the country because of restrictive and inflexible lending criteria.”

He continued: “As a foreign national, trying to get a mortgage proved far more complicated and frustrating than it should have been. It’s as if only 75 per cent of me was allowed into the country – the UK was able to match my aspirations to earn a good living and play my part in supporting the economy, but I was unable to comfortably settle with my family."

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