Yorkshire raises 95% loan rates Yorkshire Building Society said that strong demand for its 95 per cent mortgages was the reason it raised interest rates across the range last week. Yorkshire launched 95 per cent mortgages in November independently of the Help to Buy guarantee scheme, undercutting competition from scheme-based lenders. The cheapest two-year rate for a 95 per cent mortgage - through Yorkshire subsidiary Chelsea Building Society - was raised from 4.59 per cent to 4.69 per cent. Yorkshire Building Society said: "We have seen a strong demand for our 95 per cent loan-to-value mortgages, in particular from first-time buyers." Applications for 95 per cent mortgages accounted for 35 per cent of all applications from first-time buyers since launch, the company said.