There have been an increasing number of methods for individuals to find the loan they need, whether it be an unsecured loan for car purchase, perhaps, or a secured loan for debt consolidation, or a home owner loan or mortgage.

Potential borrowers have the choice of either going directly to the lender for their loan, or via the internet through one of the many price comparison websites, or by using the services of a loan broker of financial adviser, who is usually able to offer face to face and specific advice to potential borrowers and also source the best deal on the market for the individual’s particular needs.

Over the course of the past couple of years, since the start of the credit crunch and banking crisis, many banks and building societies have been shutting out financial intermediaries and loan brokers, by only offering their best loan deals directly to customers. But as lenders are starting to ease their lending criteria and offer more competitive products, it seems than some of the best deals on the market are now only available through financial advisers and loan brokers.

New research from Moneyfacts.co.uk has revealed that the average 2 year fixed rate home owner loan, form a high street bank of building society is 4.86 per cent, compared with just 4.79 per cent by using a broker. Similarly a five year fixed loan average cost is 6.05 per cent in branch, compared with 5.97 per cent through a broker.

Darren Cook at Moneyfacts.co.uk said “Like many others, mortgage brokers have probable felt one of the biggest impacts of the banking crisis and they have also had to deal with the frustration of dual pricing. At the height of the crisis, many mortgage providers preferred to offer the better deals to their direct customers, which enabled them to turn off the taps to new lending very quickly. Brokers have and  always will form an integral part of a healthy mortgage market, so we hope that dual pricing fades away soon and we return to a level playing field as quickly as possible.”