Commentary from Mark Gregory Following ERC Report
03 August 2026
Comment from Mark Gregory, Founder & CEO, Equity Release Group
"The latest Equity Release Council figures reflect what we're seeing across the market that customer confidence is gradually returning, but decisions are taking longer as homeowners continue to weigh up borrowing costs against an uncertain economic backdrop.
While inflation has eased, ongoing geopolitical events and wider economic uncertainty continue to influence interest rate expectations. Consumers considering equity release aren’t walking away but are simply taking more time to review the wider landscape before making a firm decision. We are however seeing a healthy pipeline of enquiries and advice conversations, even where completions take longer to come through.
Encouragingly, the increase in new customer activity and renewed optimism suggests that underlying demand for later life lending remains strong. The need hasn't changed, more homeowners are looking at property wealth as part of a broader retirement planning strategy, but they're approaching decisions with greater care and are looking for reassurance before committing.
For the industry, this reinforces the importance of making information and advice as accessible and transparent as possible. Customers expect to be able to compare and understand their options before speaking to an adviser, which is why technology and exceptional advice must work hand in hand. Platforms such as TERN (the Equity Release Network) also allow advisers to be fully furnished with a specialist, tech-forward and customer focussed framework to support this demand.
Firms that will thrive are those that remove complexity from the customer journey without compromising advice standards. As later life lending continues to become a more mainstream part of financial planning, improving accessibility and supporting advisers with better technology whilst maintaining exceptional consumer outcomes will be key to unlocking the market's long-term potential."
