Compare Mortgage Rates from Reliance Bank Against the Market starting at 3.47%

About Reliance Bank

Reliance Bank is a "bank with a conscience." While it is a fully authorised UK bank offering current accounts and mortgages, its lending philosophy is driven by ethics rather than pure profit.

Their approach is built on manual underwriting. They state clearly that they "credit search, not credit score." This means a human underwriter reviews every application to understand the person behind the numbers, rather than relying on a computer algorithm to accept or reject you.

Mortgage & Finance Products

Reliance Bank lends across England and Wales. Their product range is highly targeted towards social good and helping key workers.

• Shared Ownership:

  • High LTV: They are a market leader in this sector, lending up to 95% of the share value.

  • Staircasing: They support borrowers who want to buy more shares in their property later on.

  • Cashback: They often offer cashback incentives on Shared Ownership completions to help first-time buyers with costs.

• Key Worker Mortgages:

  • Designed for NHS staff, teachers, police, fire service, and Salvation Army officers.

  • Higher Income Multiples: They can often lend higher amounts (e.g., up to 5.5x income for sole applicants in some tiers) to help essential workers get onto the property ladder in expensive areas.

• Residential Mortgages:

  • Manual Underwriting: Ideal for borrowers with complex income or "soft" facts that a computer might reject.

  • Right to Buy: They support council tenants wishing to buy their homes.

• Charity & Church Lending:

  • As you would expect from their ownership, they are experts in lending to churches, charities, and social enterprises to buy buildings or fund community projects.

• Buy-to-Let:

  • They offer Buy-to-Let mortgages for individuals and limited companies, but their criteria often favour "ethical" landlords or standard residential properties rather than aggressive investment strategies.

Pros and Cons of Reliance Bank

Here is a balanced overview of choosing Reliance Bank.

Pros:

• Ethical Banking: It is one of the few banks where your mortgage interest directly funds charitable work (homeless shelters, food banks, etc.) via The Salvation Army.

• Manual Underwriting: You are assessed by a person. If you have a complex story but are a good payer, they are more likely to listen than a high-street algorithm.

• Shared Ownership Support: They are one of the few lenders genuinely committed to this sector, lending up to 95% of the share (many others cap at 85% or 90%).

• Key Worker Support: Their specific product range acknowledges the stability of public sector jobs by offering enhanced borrowing power.

Cons:

• Niche Focus: They are not a mass-market lender. If you are a standard borrower with a straightforward income, you will likely find cheaper rates at a "Big Six" bank (like HSBC or Santander).

• Technology: As a small, traditional bank, their digital banking app and online systems may feel less slick/modern than fintech rivals like Monzo or Starling.

• Intermediary Led: For mortgages, they operate largely through brokers. It can be harder to get a mortgage appointment directly compared to walking into a high-street branch.

Customer Service and Reviews

Reliance Bank is a small lender, so it does not have thousands of public reviews.

• Charity Finance Awards: They frequently rank 1st for "Relationship Management" in charity banking surveys, beating high-street giants.

• Service Style: Customers and brokers describe the service as "traditional" and "polite." You are likely to speak to a dedicated case manager in their London office rather than an outsourced call centre.

How to Apply

1. Through a Broker (recommended): For Shared Ownership and Key Worker mortgages, it is highly recommended to use a mortgage broker. They can ensure your application is packaged correctly for the manual underwriting team.

2. Direct: You can contact their mortgage team directly via phone or email to inquire about products, though they may refer you to an adviser for advice.

Get started here to begin a free, no-obligation chat with a broker who specialises in Reliance Bank’s mortgage range, can compare it against the market, and offer bespoke advice about which deal to choose.