Bank of China， the world's third largest bank， has started offering mortgages to credit-starved British borrowers at rates that undercut many of the deals available from established UK lenders.

　　全球第三大銀行中國銀行（BoC）已開始向急需信貸的英國借款人提供住房抵押貸款，利率低于英國許多老牌銀行。

　　The bank， which has previously focused on Chinese communities in the UK， wants to become a household name alongside lenders such as HSBC and Barclays.

　　此前一直將業(yè)務重點放在英國華人社區(qū)的中國銀行，希望成為與匯豐（HSBC）和巴克萊（Barclays）一樣家喻戶曉的品牌。

　　The experience of taking out a Bank of China mortgage will not be quite the same as that offered by the traditional UK lender.

　　向中國銀行申請抵押貸款的體驗，將和與傳統(tǒng)的英國銀行打交道頗為不同。

　　In a nod to Chinese belief in the auspicious nature of the number eight， the bank has had a mortgage arrangement fee of ￡888， though it this week switched it to the more recognisable figure of ￡995.

　　中行起先將貸款手續(xù)費設定在888英鎊，體現中國人認為數字8具有吉祥意義的觀念，但本周該行已將手續(xù)費上調至更易于辨識的995英鎊。

　　It will insist on meeting each new borrower personally before offering them a loan， and will fund loans from its own capital reserves， a conservative approach that was once the norm in UK banking but fell away in the fervour of the latest housing boom.

　　中行將堅持在提供貸款前會見每一位新的借款人，并將用自身的資本金儲備來提供貸款，這種保守的做法曾是英國銀行業(yè)的慣例，但在最近一輪住宅市場繁榮的熱潮中已逐漸失寵。

　　Mortgage brokers said its tracker rates - available for homeowners and buy-to-let customers and starting at 2.5 per cent above the base rate - were among the best on the market and should go some way to relieving the shortage of home loans in the UK.

　　抵押貸款經紀人表示，中行向住宅業(yè)主和“購房出租”（buy-to-let）客戶提供的跟蹤利率，以基準利率上浮2.5%為起點，是市場上最優(yōu)惠的利率之一，應該可以在一定程度上緩解英國住房貸款短缺的情況。

　　The bank is beginning its mortgage business slowly， discreetly marketing its rates through four distributors， including Savills and Legal & General Mortgage Club.

　　中行正緩慢啟動其抵押貸款業(yè)務，該行正通過第一太平戴維斯（Savills）和Legal & General Mortgage Club等四家分銷商，審慎地推銷貸款。

　　Brokers said the emergence of such a large lender was welcome at a time when the mortgage market had suffered a significant contraction of supply.

　　經紀人表示，在抵押貸款市場經歷了嚴重的供應收縮之際，這樣一家大型銀行的出現是可喜的。

　　The bank is expected to initially lend fairly small amounts but could rapidly expand its loan book. It said there were opportunities to expand by attracting high quality business from the wider UK market.

　　預計中行將在初期發(fā)放相對小額的房貸，但可能迅速擴大整體放貸規(guī)模。該行表示，有機會從更廣闊的英國市場中爭取高質量業(yè)務，從而實現擴張。

　　Analysts believe foreign banks are in a strong position to lend in the UK as they have healthier balance sheets and do not have back books stuffed with high-risk loans.

　　分析師認為，外國銀行在向英國客戶放貸方面處于有利地位，因為它們擁有更健康的資產負債表，并且沒有充斥著高風險貸款的歷史遺留負擔。