Were you a Doctor or a professional on a solid upwards earning curve, ?, if you were you should have got it at that time.
The professionals always got some preferential treatment on the basis the Banks were trying to build a long term relationship, it goes back to attracting students from University.
I do not know when he got his mortgage but when the 100% mortgages first arrived thanks to First Active they were aimed at professionals only and he would have qualified, the tracker was incidental at that time, trackers were offered alongside variable and fixed as alternatives, the idea of Banks offering customers tracker rates is a little disingenuous.
Only the savvy recognised trackers as the value they turned out to be.