Mortgage lending and administration return (MLAR)

Regulated mortgage lenders and administrators have to submit a MLAR every 3 months, 20 business days after the reporting period end date, with data on their mortgage lending activities.

Section J and K need to be submitted annually, 30 business days after the reporting period end date. Sale and rent back firms, who have to complete Section K, can read more about their reporting requirements[1].

After the introduction of FSMA, the prudential supervision of these firms is carried out by:

• the Prudential Regulation Authority, for banks, building societies, credit unions and insurers
• the FCA, for all other types of firm including mortgage administrators and other lenders which do not take deposits

Both companies publish a document showing statistics on mortgage lending, to give an overall picture of the sector – this is available on their websites after the reporting date.

Only firms that are authorised to engage in mortgage lending or mortgage administration have to submit an MLAR.

Sections of the return

If you use the online reporting facility in RegData[2] to submit your MLAR you will see all relevant sections of the return that apply to your firm, except where:

• your firm is authorised for mortgage lending, but not mortgage administration – here you will not need to complete sections G and H
• your firm is authorised for mortgage administration but not mortgage lending – here you will not normally need to complete sections D, E or F. The exception would be if your firm had non-regulated loans on its balance sheet, or, having previously undertaken regulated mortgage lending but then having surrendered that authorisation, still had regulated loans on its balance sheet.

Data reference guides for the sections of the MLAR on RegData

Guidance notes can be found in SUP 16 Annex 19B[3] of the Handbook, and further help can be found in our FAQs[4].