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.

　　全球第三大银行中国银行（BoC）已开始向急需信贷的英国借款人提供住房抵押贷款，利率低于英国许多老牌银行。

　　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.

　　此前一直将业务重点放在英国华人社区的中国银行，希望成为与汇丰（HSBC）和巴克莱（Barclays）一样家喻户晓的品牌。

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

　　向中国银行申请抵押贷款的体验，将和与传统的英国银行打交道颇为不同。

　　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.

　　中行起先将贷款手续费设定在888英镑，体现中国人认为数字8具有吉祥意义的观念，但本周该行已将手续费上调至更易于辨识的995英镑。

　　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.

　　中行将坚持在提供贷款前会见每一位新的借款人，并将用自身的资本金储备来提供贷款，这种保守的做法曾是英国银行业的惯例，但在最近一轮住宅市场繁荣的热潮中已逐渐失宠。

　　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.

　　抵押贷款经纪人表示，中行向住宅业主和“购房出租”（buy-to-let）客户提供的跟踪利率，以基准利率上浮2.5%为起点，是市场上最优惠的利率之一，应该可以在一定程度上缓解英国住房贷款短缺的情况。

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

　　中行正缓慢启动其抵押贷款业务，该行正通过第一太平戴维斯（Savills）和Legal & General Mortgage Club等四家分销商，审慎地推销贷款。

　　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.

　　经纪人表示，在抵押贷款市场经历了严重的供应收缩之际，这样一家大型银行的出现是可喜的。

　　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.

　　预计中行将在初期发放相对小额的房贷，但可能迅速扩大整体放贷规模。该行表示，有机会从更广阔的英国市场中争取高质量业务，从而实现扩张。

　　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.

　　分析师认为，外国银行在向英国客户放贷方面处于有利地位，因为它们拥有更健康的资产负债表，并且没有充斥着高风险贷款的历史遗留负担。