Mortgage Strategy
11 August 2008

  • Direct survives panel culls

    11 Aug 2008

    Direct Financial Services, the distributor of residential, commercial, bridging and secured loans, has survived the culls to Kensington, Platform, Money Partners and Mortgage Express' packager panels.

  • Em- offers brokers free valuations

    11 Aug 2008

    Em-financial is offering brokers free valuations of upto £1m on Platform remortgage deals. The lender has retained em-financial as one of its 15 key distribution partners.

  • Leadbay's Baker joins MoneyExpert

    11 Aug 2008

    Leadbay operations manager Simon Baker has left the company to join the MoneyExpert group in a management role.

  • RBS reports 690m loss

    11 Aug 2008

    The Royal Bank of Scotland has reported a pre-tax loss of 691m for the first half of 2008 - a fall widely reported as the second-biggest loss in UK banking history. The figure represents a huge drop from the 5bn profit it made in the first six months of last year. RBS says it has suffered market write-downs of 5.9bn. Adjusted earnings per share were also down 10 percent to 21.3p.

  • £100,000 strategy to save UK mortgage market

    11 Aug 2008

    Cicero Consulting has come up with a £100,000 action plan to nudge the Treasury into rescuing the specialist lending market.

  • 17-day window for overseas property investors

    14 Aug 2008

    Property investors with their eye on the burgeoning Cyprus market have a 17-day window to capitalise on the soaring prices of a development before repricing comes into effect.

  • Abbey cuts fixed and tracker rates

    11 Aug 2008

    Abbey has cut its fixed and tracker rates by up to 0.1 percent, reducing its two-year 75 percent LTV tracker to 5.89 percent.

  • AMPD launches summer exclusive with Money Partners

    11 Aug 2008

    The Alliance of Mortgage Packagers and Distributors is launching a limited edition product campaign with specialist lender Money Partners.

  • AMPD offers summer incentive with Money Partners

    11 Aug 2008

    The Alliance of Mortgage Packagers and Distributors is launching a ‘Summer Sizzler’ campaign in association with Money Partners.

  • Another broker is banned

    11 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a broker from advising and arr-anging mortgages after he pleaded guilty to four counts of obtaining money transfers by deception.

  • Antipathy to Crosby report is baffling

    11 Aug 2008

    I've been amazed by the hostility to Sir James Crosby's interim report in the media. There seems to be a consensus that lenders are reaping the whirlwind of greed and that extending the Special Liquidity Scheme to new mortgages would bail out the loan sharks with taxpayers footing the bill.

  • Auction prices tumble

    11 Aug 2008

    The average price of a house sold at auction has fallen by almost one-fifth since 2007, says a study by the Liberal Democrats. It says the average price of a house sold at auction in Q2 2008 fell by £32,000 to £138,857 from £170,757 in Q2 2007.

  • Average homebuyer putting down 22% deposit

    12 Aug 2008

    The average homebuyer put down a 22% deposit in June, up from 20% in May, show figures form the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

  • B2L deals on market fall 4,077

    11 Aug 2008

    Mortgage products available for buy-to-let borrowers have dwindled from 4,384 to 307 in the past year, says Moneysupermarket.com.

  • Barclays grabs lion's share of business

    11 Aug 2008

    Barclays has secured the largest share of new net mortgage business so far this year.

  • Birkett rallies shareholders ahead of EGM

    11 Aug 2008

    Prestbury chief executive Lee Birkett has sent a rallying call to shareholders to vote to retain his position, ahead of an extraordinary general meeting later this month.

  • Blair Endersby launches new IVA website

    12 Aug 2008

    IVA specialist, Blair Endersby, has launched a new website to help people struggling to get out of debt. The site features Blair Endersby‚s Express Debt Test, which enables visitors to determine how appropriate an IVA maybe for their circumstances.Manchester-based Blair Endersby is one of England and Wales‚ largest debt solutions companies dealing primarily in Individual Voluntary Arrangements.

  • Blemain hikes LTVs by 5 percent

    11 Aug 2008

    The Blemain Group has revamped its product range, increasing LTVs by 5 percent on some deals. Blemain Finance has also introduced a £295 packaging fee and has removed its caps on broker fees. In an email to brokers, Blemain reaffirmed its commitment to the residential and commercial secured loan, mortgage and bridging markets.

  • Bridgewater launches intermediary distribution team

    11 Aug 2008

    Bridgewater Equity Release has revealed the formation of a new team to focus exclusively on the intermediary distribution channel.

  • Bristol & West launches four new broker products

    12 Aug 2008

    Bristol & West Mortgages is launching four products to the intermediary market across its standard and buy-to-let ranges.

  • Britain heading for repossession crisis warns Cable

    15 Aug 2008

    Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor, has warned that Britain is heading towards a repossession crisis.

  • Broadhead quits AHIPP for BSA

    12 Aug 2008

    The Building Societies Association has recruited Paul Broadhead, deputy director-general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, to the position of head of mortgage policy.

  • Brokers face extinction so we've moved into planning

    11 Aug 2008

    Sir James Crosby is right. Mortgage brokers are dead in the water and that is why we adapted to become mortgage planners five years ago.

  • Brokers must defuse TCF timebomb claims MortgageStream

    13 Aug 2008

    Case management provider MortgageStream has claimed that mortgage firms can still instigate solutions to satisfy TCF regulations and defuse the ticking TCF Timebomb scheduled to “go off” in the brokers firm on the December’s deadline.

  • Brokers rapped for TCF breaches

    11 Aug 2008

    Seven brokers have been referred to enforcement and a further 23 have been asked to review their customer files as part of the Financial Services Authority's review of its Treating Customers Fairly initiative. The brokers provided the FSA with insufficient evidence to justify their advice to customers.

  • BSA appoints head of mortgage policy

    12 Aug 2008

    The Building Societies Association has recruited Paul Broadhead, deputy director-general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, as its he head of mortgage policy. Broadhead will head up the Association's new mortgage policy team and joins the BSA in November 2008. He started his career with the Halifax, carrying out a number of roles in the branch network across all product areas, as well as being a qualified mortgage adviser.

  • Buy-to-let market still thriving

    11 Aug 2008

    Despite a constant succession of bad news the buy-to-let sector seems to holding up and according to several reports is even thriving in the current difficult climate.

  • Cable says FSA too slow to react to recession

    11 Aug 2008

    Vince Cable, shadow chancellor for the Liberal Democrats, has chastised the Financial Services Authority for failing to act urgently in the face of impending recession.

  • CAL appoints finance and operations manager

    11 Aug 2008

    Conveyancing Alliance Ltd has revealed the appointment of Emma Pursey as its new finance and operations manager.

  • Cambridge unveils fixes

    11 Aug 2008

    Cambridge has launched a 6.14 percent two-year fixed rate and a five-year fix at 5.99 percent. Both deals are available up to 85 percent LTV. The society is targeting borrowers coming to the end of fixed deals this year.

  • Car finance the offset way can pay

    11 Aug 2008

    It's nearly time for newly registered cars to hit the roads and the game of spotting who's got the dosh for a new motor to begin.

  • CML and CAB issue credit crunch survival guide

    15 Aug 2008

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Citizens Advice have issued some top tips to help people get through the credit crunch.

  • CML reveals most buyers seek out brokers

    12 Aug 2008

    The vast majority of first-time buyers sought the advice of mortgage brokers during the first half of this year, data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders reveals.

  • Come In No. 10, Your Time Is Up

    12 Aug 2008

    I would have thought that by now our beleaguered government would have known that before speaking it is best to engage brain.

  • Complete sees online DIPs soar

    11 Aug 2008

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has exceeded its targets and reported a 43 percent month-on-month rise in decisions in principle last month. It says 24 percent of applications came via Complete Online just two months after the service was launched. Mike Hill, director at Complete, says: "We are committed to investing in technology."

  • Complete survives Platform cull

    11 Aug 2008

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has survived the cull at Platform and kept its place on the lender's packager panel. Last month the Britannia subsidiary slashed its panel from 50 distributors to 16.

  • Conti link could boost Spanish deals

    11 Aug 2008

    Conti Financial Services has joined a scheme that is designed to woo back would-be investors in the Spanish property market who have been spooked by scare stories about buying houses in the country.

  • Criminal checks the only way to prove our work is sound

    11 Aug 2008

    Regarding your recent coverage about criminal checks for brokers, this was something the Mortgage Code Compliance Board did as part of its processes. It recommended that the FSA should adopt the same approach prior to Mortgage Day in 2004.

  • Crunch sows seeds for future price boom

    11 Aug 2008

    New Housing completions will tumble 20 percent in 2008, the Centre for Economic and Business Research forecasts.

  • Drake elected to AFB board

    11 Aug 2008

    Barney Drake, commercial director at y3s, has been appointed to the board of the Association of Finance Brokers.

  • E2M launches EPC service

    11 Aug 2008

    Easier2Move has launched an Energy Performance Certificate service for landlords to meet October's EPC deadline for rental properties. It costs 65 and brokers can earn introducer fees from the scheme.

  • Em- launches First National exclusive

    11 Aug 2008

    Em- Financial has unveiled a new exclusive offering via GE Money Home Lending subsidiary First National.

  • Em- to close East Kilbride office

    12 Aug 2008

    Em-Financial has revealed it is set to close its East Kilbride office in order to improve efficiency within the business.

  • Equity release enquiries up 75% since May

    11 Aug 2008

    Research from Hodge Equity Release reveals that IFAs are reporting a 75% upturn in the number of equity release enquiries during the past three months.

  • EuroDebt takes to the road to educate brokers

    11 Aug 2008

    Debt management provider, EuroDebt, is mounting a second UK-wide educational roadshow to help brokers identify the opportunities for alternative financial solutions for their clients.

  • Evaluate adds A&L to lender proposition

    11 Aug 2008

    Evaluate Technologies has added Alliance & Leicester to its lender proposition.

  • Ex-director says NR's troubles will go on

    11 Aug 2008

    Northern Rock is trapped in a vicious circle that could see it continue to make losses for another 18 months, a former director at the lender claims.

  • Fears over Stamp Duty fiasco

    11 Aug 2008

    Companies across the mortgage industry say government indecision about whether Stamp Duty should be suspended will prolong the turmoil affecting the housing market.

  • Fewest transactions in recorded history, says RICS

    12 Aug 2008

    Surveyors have processed fewer housing transactions this year than ever recorded by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

  • First European Securities makes secured loan comeback

    12 Aug 2008

    First European Securities has re-entered the secured loan market four years after it withdrew.

  • Fitch says GMAC-RFC securities going strong

    11 Aug 2008

    Fitch Ratings has confirmed the strength of GMAC-RFC securities listed as RMAC.

  • Focus on phoenix bosses

    11 Aug 2008

    An Association of Mortgage Intermediaries director is urging the Financial Services Authority to crack down on bosses of so-called phoenix firms that offload liabilities onto the rest of the industry.

  • FSA bans and fines broker £100,000

    11 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a mortgage broker and fined him £100,000 for submitting false mortgage applications.

  • FSA bans broker for fraud involvement

    12 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a mortgage broker in Doncaster for applying for a personal loan with false documents.

  • FSA bans mortgage broker and issues 100,00 fine

    11 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a mortgage broker and fined him 100,000 for submitting false mortgage applications.

  • FSA bans mortgage broker for forging documents

    12 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a mortgage broker in Doncaster for applying for a personal loan with false documents.

  • FSA fines Credit Suisse £5.6m for operational failings

    13 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has fined the UK operations of Credit Suisse £5.6m for failing to conduct their business with due skill, care and diligence and failing to organise their business effectively.

  • FSA fines Credit Suisse 5.6m

    13 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has today fined the UK operations of Credit Suisse 5.6m for failing to conduct their business with due skill, care and diligence and failing to organise their business effectively.

  • Further twist in Prestbury power row

    11 Aug 2008

    The company pushing for the removal of Lee and Lynne Birkett from their roles as directors at Prestbury was placed in liquidation a year and a half ago.

  • GMAC-RFC securities going strong reports Fitch

    11 Aug 2008

    Fitch Ratings has confirmed the strength of GMAC-RFC securities listed as RMAC.

  • Halifax chops rates on broker products

    15 Aug 2008

    Halifax is slashing select broker-only mortgage products by up to 0.45% from August 16.

  • Halifax offers £100 proc fee bonus to DAs

    15 Aug 2008

    Halifax Intermediaries is offering a £100 proc fee bonus to directly authorised brokers who source its products via eight selected distribution channels.

  • Halifax says price fall is slowing

    11 Aug 2008

    Halifax has reported a 1.7 percent fall in house prices in July, representing a slowdown in the rate of decreases. Prices fell by 1.9 percent in June and 2.5 percent in May. Halifax says the average price of a house is now £177,351 - some 34 percent higher than in 2003.

  • HBOS shuts down TMB

    14 Aug 2008

    HBOS has this morning revealed it is terminating The Mortgage Business brand as a way of streamlining its mortgage business.

  • HBOS terminates TMB brand

    13 Aug 2008

    HBOS has this morning revealed it is terminating The Mortgage Business brand as a way of streamlining its mortgage business.

  • Help appoints BDM

    12 Aug 2008

    Help Personal Finance has appointed Jennifer Hardman as a business development manager. Hardman joins from Loanmakers and will work nationally promoting Help’s products.Daniel Gale, head of lending at Help, says: “We are happy to be appointing Jennifer, especially in the current market conditions. The appointment goes to show that we are committed to the broker secured loan market and determined to deliver a good service.”

  • Home & Capital appoints head of finance

    11 Aug 2008

    Home & Capital has appointed Sue Burgess as head of finance.

  • Home owners predict gloomy 2009

    11 Aug 2008

    Nearly half of UK home owners believe their property will have gone down in value by next year, reveal figures from Simplyzigzag.com.

  • Home owners struggle to make ends meet

    12 Aug 2008

    A survey from Moneynet.co.uk reveals that over one in five home owners would not be able to cope with an increase of more than £50 to monthly mortgage repayments.

  • Hot tunes

    11 Aug 2008

    More fun and frolics on the music front but this time it was Kylie setting Mole's pulse racing. At a blistering set at London's 02 Arena courtesy of our friends at Loans etc on Monday, Mole and the firm's broker liaison Michelle Blair danced to classics such as Can't get you out of my head and Step back in time.

  • If brokers die out clients will struggle to get the best deals

    11 Aug 2008

    Sir James Crosby's recent prediction that there will be a huge reduction in the number of mortgage brokers is worrying if unsurprising.

  • IMLA says UK set for quick recovery

    15 Aug 2008

    The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association is predicting recovery will come quickly to the UK housing market despite dismal figures from the Ministry of Justice this morning.

  • In the Hot Seat

    11 Aug 2008

    As the bridging market breaks free from its old image of being the lending of last resort, more distributors and brokers are starting to move into the sector. Pink Home Loans has become the bridging market’s latest new recruit, and teamed up with lenders Affirmative, Cheval and Lowry Capital.

  • Inflation hits 4.4% in July

    12 Aug 2008

    The annual rate of inflation soared to 4.4% in July, its highest level since records began in 1997.

  • Inflation soars to 4.4%

    12 Aug 2008

    The annual rate of inflation soared to 4.4% in July, its highest level since records began in 1997.

  • It’s different this time

    12 Aug 2008

    This property downturn is probably different from any other in living memory, or perhaps ever.

  • It's Grim Oop North

    14 Aug 2008

    Watching the team from my adopted spiritual city of Liverpool stutterthrough 90 minutes of a Belgian whirlwind last night got me thinking,and chuckling inanely to myself, about this extraordinary piece of toshthat pretends to be a serious report from the Policy Exchange.

  • Jannels quits as PMPA boss

    11 Aug 2008

    Vic Jannels has stepped down as chairman of the Professional Mortgage Packagers Alliance. Helen Hymos will take over as acting chairwoman until she retires in January 2009.

  • Just Retirement removes up-front fees from equity release range

    14 Aug 2008

    Just Retirement has chopped off all up-front fees on its equity release range from August 14 to December 31.

  • Kevin Carr to target IFAs in PruProtect role

    11 Aug 2008

    Kevin Carr will report directly to the chief executive of PruProtect when he joins the firm as director of protection development next month.

  • Knight leads the fightback

    11 Aug 2008

    Stephen Knight is battling to save the specialist mortgage market by urging the industry to contribute to a £100,000 fighting fund to spur the Treasury into action.

  • Labour Stamp Duty comments reckless, says Cameron

    12 Aug 2008

    David Cameron, leader of the Opposition, has labelled the government as "reckless" after it hinted at a possible Stamp Duty exemption last week.

  • Last chance saloon for TCF failures

    11 Aug 2008

    The regulators final Treating Customers Fairly deadline in December is looming so brokers must prioritise the initiative or face losing their businesses, says Gemma Harle

  • Law Commission proposes rental reforms

    15 Aug 2008

    The Law Commission is recommending a programme of staged reforms to improve on self-regulation of the private rental sector.

  • Leeds launches 90% LTV mortgage

    12 Aug 2008

    Leeds has launched a three-year fees-free fixed rate mortgage available up to 90% LTV and starting from 6.99%.

  • Lenders are on a stairway to hell if brokers are banished

    11 Aug 2008

    Sir James Crosby has got his assessment wrong, especially with regard to brokers dying out.

  • Lenders fighting for large loan business

    12 Aug 2008

    More than one in three lenders is still offering mortgages of over £500,000, reveals consumer finance website Mform.co.uk.

  • LMS slams councils for slow property searches

    11 Aug 2008

    Home Information Pack provider LMS Conveyancing has lashed out at councils across England for the slow turnover of property searches.

  • Loanoptions.co.uk closes one door and opens another

    13 Aug 2008

    Loanoptions.co.uk.Limited has gone into administration, but the brand Loan Options will become a trading name of Merchant Business Finance.

  • Loans etc attacks Loan Option’s relaunch

    14 Aug 2008

    Graham Brent, managing director of Loans etc, has begun a war of words with Andy Moody, managing director of Loanoptions.co.uk, over his plan to relaunch the business as Loan Options under the Merchant Business Finance brand.

  • Loans etc packaging secured loans for free

    11 Aug 2008

    Loans etc is offering a free packaging promotion on the new batch of secured loan products being offered by Link Loans.

  • LV= slashes lifetime mortgage rate

    15 Aug 2008

    LV= has cut the rates on its flexible lifetime mortgage from August 14.

  • MAB extends help to independent brokers

    11 Aug 2008

    Mortgage Advice Bureau is extending its offering to standalone brokers in a move to support those feeling the pinch of the credit crunch.

  • Manor Mortgages agrees increase to funding lines

    12 Aug 2008

    Manor Mortgages has agreed a significant increase to its funding lines with specialist lender Money Partners.

  • Manor Mortgages secures increased funding from Money Partners

    11 Aug 2008

    In response to recent upturns in business volumes, Manor Mortgages have agreed a significant increase to its funding lines with specialist lender Money Partners.

  • Marathon Money

    11 Aug 2008

    Mortgage Strategy brings you a rundown of the industry figures putting their bodies on the line in September’s Berlin Marathon to raise money for charity

  • Market Watch 11 August 2008

    11 Aug 2008

    Swaps fell pretty significantly last week. Two-year swaps are now almost 1 percent down on where they were seven weeks ago. While fixed rates have come down, I don't think we have seen falls of anything like 1 percent so let's hope there is more to come.

  • Merrill Lynch could go tax free in the UK

    15 Aug 2008

    Merrill Lynch may not have to pay corporation tax in the UK for decades as a result of its massive sub-prime losses.

  • Money Partners adds to panel

    11 Aug 2008

    Money Partners has added TFC Homeloans to its packager panel. This follows the lender's recent move to trim its panel to only 10 distributors. TFC says it has held talks with Money Partners to discuss its vision for core business and its mortgage sourcing and distribution system Orbiter.

  • Money Partners slashes fixed rates

    11 Aug 2008

    Money Partners has cut rates across its entire fixed rate range.

  • Most movers migrate to South-East suburbs

    11 Aug 2008

    Vast numbers of home owners are leaving London and flocking to the suburbs to buy family homes, says data from home move service provider Moveme.com.

  • MPPI for shared properties unveiled

    11 Aug 2008

    British Insurance is offering mortgage payment protection insurance for properties bought through shared ownership schemes offered by housing associations.

  • Newcastle launches 20 new products

    15 Aug 2008

    Newcastle is rolling out 20 new products including two best-buy offerings.

  • NLA calls for feedback on rent-back code

    11 Aug 2008

    The National Landlords Association is stepping up its campaign to regulate the sale-and-rent-back market as it calls for feedback on its draft code of practice.

  • No end to high inflation in sight

    11 Aug 2008

    The spectre of prolonged high inflation emerged last week as the International Monetary Fund warned that the UK is unlikely to hit its 2 percent target in the near future.

  • Northern Rock rolls out new range

    12 Aug 2008

    Northern Rock has launched a mortgage range featuring both tracker and fixed rate products.

  • NU spruces up lifetime deals

    11 Aug 2008

    Norwich Union has revamped its lifetime mortgage range. NU is launching Lifestyle Lump Sum Max - a high rate LTV deal - and replacing its Cash Reserve Option plan with its Lifestyle Flexible Option product.

  • OFT should name and shame lenders

    11 Aug 2008

    The Office of Fair Trading investigation into irresponsible lending in the consumer credit markets is not before time. Earlier intervention may have saved thousands of consumers from financial hardship and also have helped prevent some of the financial meltdown seen in the housing market.

  • Orbiter to launch direct product sourcing system

    14 Aug 2008

    Orbiter Group is set to launch a direct product sourcing system.

  • Packagers sitting ducks as HBOS reshuffles

    14 Aug 2008

    The packager market suffered its biggest blow yet this week when The Mortgage Business pulled from the market.

  • Packagers voice concerns over TMB closure

    13 Aug 2008

    Mortgage packagers are waiting with bated breath to see how HBOS will merge the BM Solutions and TMB brands, and what this will mean for packagers that have no agency with BM.

  • Partners can offer silver lining to technology cloud

    11 Aug 2008

    There's no doubt that Nick Baxter (Mortgage Strategy 14 July) and Paul Holden (Mortgage Strategy 28 July) are right in saying that brokers cannot ignore the importance of integrated point-of-sale and back office systems.

  • Paul Reynolds to leave MoneyQuest Mortgage Brokers

    13 Aug 2008

    Paul Reynolds is set to leave as managing director of Glasgow-based brokerage MoneyQuest Mortgage Brokers.

  • Pension schemes plunge into the red

    11 Aug 2008

    Pension schemes sunk £41bn into deficit in July, reports Lane Clark & Peacock LLP. The actuarial consultant says this is in stark contrast to the £12bn surplus seen in July 2007.

  • Persimmon and Halifax link up to help first-timers

    11 Aug 2008

    Persimmon Homes has joined forces with Halifax in an attempt to win back would-be buyers in their 20s and 30s who have almost disappeared from the market.

  • Pink to offer equity release option

    11 Aug 2008

    Pink Home Loans is poised to move into the equity release market as it continues to branch out into specialist sectors.

  • Pink urges brokers to target equity release

    11 Aug 2008

    Pink Home Loans is urging brokers to target equity release after research it conducted found that 92% of brokers still gave the market a wide berth.

  • PISCES reveals e-standards conference details

    11 Aug 2008

    E-standards organisation PISCES is hosting its annual conference on September 29 and 30 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh.

  • Portal will broaden brokers' business horizons

    11 Aug 2008

    Rachel Bancroft, former managing director of KGB Packaging, is setting up a portal to help brokers di-versify their businesses.

  • Positive Solutions teams up with online conveyancers

    11 Aug 2008

    Positive Solutions mortgage club has announced agreements with three online conveyancing providers to offer brokers commission of up to £200 per referral.

  • Prestbury CEO pleas with shareholders ahead of EGM

    11 Aug 2008

    Lee Birkett, chief executive officer at Prestbury has written to shareholders, pleaing with them not to remove himself and his mother Lynne Birkett, as directors of the company.

  • Promise guarantee boosts enquiries

    11 Aug 2008

    Promise Home Packs has revealed a surge in demand for its services after the launch of its 'no sale no fee' guarantee and recent BBC coverage of Home Information Packs.

  • Protection has never been more vital

    11 Aug 2008

    It's understandable why consumer confidence has been buffeted in recent months. Daily news bulletins report the rising cost of living, the slowdown in the housing market and talk of a potential recession. Statistics show that gas and electric bills are up 12% and unleaded petrol prices have risen by 16.5%.

  • PwC sees £600bn wiped from UK wealth

    11 Aug 2008

    Free falling house prices have already wiped out £600bn in British wealth reserves, reports PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP.

  • Realism returning to the market reports RICS

    12 Aug 2008

    Sales continue to dry up but some realism is returning to the market, shows the The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor's July 2008 housing market survey.

  • Repossession cases on the rise

    11 Aug 2008

    There were 18,900 cases of lenders repossessing property in the first half of 2008, data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders reveals. This figure compares with 13,400 in the second half of 2007 and 12,800 in the first half of that year. The numbers relate to first mortgages only, not loans secured on homes.

  • Repossession orders climb 24%

    15 Aug 2008

    The number of home owners faced with the threat of repossession has increased by almost a quarter since this time last year, reveal statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

  • Repossession orders not the last resort as lenders seek access to clients' equity

    11 Aug 2008

    In our role as compliance consultants we reviewed a case last month where a mainstream lender had scheduled a County Court repossession hearing for a case where a long-established employee was just 1,200 in arrears.

  • Research standards must be upheld

    11 Aug 2008

    Some studies into the mortgage market based on small samples and designed for PR purposes can be misleading so minimum research standards should be introduced, says Sally Laker

  • Restoring liquidity is the only answer

    11 Aug 2008

    It's been another bad week for the mortgage market. After hints that the Treasury might postpone Stamp Duty, this quickly and predictably turned into a spectacular own goal.

  • S&S online arm to offer wide range

    11 Aug 2008

    Stroud & Swindon has revealed that its online intermediary lender will offer prime, buy-to-let and self-cert products when it is launched in October.

  • Sail time

    11 Aug 2008

    Mole cast off at Cowes Week last Wednesday with LV= in a Class 3 race aboard the good ship Lickety Split. But Mortgage Strategy's ultra-competitive deputy news editor Laura Stavro-Beauchamp was outraged by the race management.

  • Secrets of Abbey's successes revealed

    11 Aug 2008

    A weekend break sailing at Cowes has given me time to reflect on how far Abbey has come as an intermediary lender in the past year.

  • Self-cert lenders are in the FSA's sights

    11 Aug 2008

    Self-cert lenders are in the spotlight following a Financial Services Authority review into their conduct.

  • Shelter calls for government help on repossessions

    11 Aug 2008

    Shelter is calling for urgent aid from the government to support those home owners struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

  • Short-term pain could mean long-term gains for packagers

    11 Aug 2008

    Packagers are coming to the slaughter and are continuing to be cut from lenders' distribution panels. But does this signal the end of the market? Far from it - in some ways it will make it stronger than ever.

  • Single regulator would pay dividends

    11 Aug 2008

    News of the Office of Fair Trading's intention to launch a consultation on irresponsible lending is strangely familiar.

  • Sniffing out leads

    11 Aug 2008

    Although the lead generation sector has a less than spotless reputation it could offer brokers valuable help in these lean times, says Natalie Holt

  • Solicitors in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

    11 Aug 2008

    Paul Marsh's letter in the July 28 edition of Mortgage Strategy, in which he criticised Alan Cleary for suggesting that the Law Society has little interest in rooting out rogues in the legal profession, is interesting.

  • TCF Debt Solutions warns of calm before the storm

    11 Aug 2008

    Recent figures showing a decrease in the number of bankruptcies and IVAs are just the lull before the storm, warns, Andy Moody, managing director at TCF Debt Solutions.

  • The Rock to the rescue

    12 Aug 2008

    Alistair Darling’s Ministry of Silly Ideas has been teasing us ordinary citizens with a number of mortgage market saving initiatives that he might or might not announce as part of Gordon Brown’s great comeback campaign this autumn.

  • The survivor

    11 Aug 2008

    Mole was tickled to come across this ditty about Merrill Lynch chief executive John Thain last week.

  • The truth is out there... somewhere

    11 Aug 2008

    Kevin Paterson takes a weekly peek at the latest developments in the market and brings you what’s hot and what’s not in the world of mortgages

  • This week's top question from CashQuestions.com

    11 Aug 2008

    Question: My clients are a couple aged 71 and 78. Two years ago they considered equity release but their son decided to help out with 5,000 a year instead, thus leaving his inheritance intact. But the clients are wondering if this was a good idea. If either needs to go into a care home and the property is sold to pay for it, the son would not only lose his inheritance but also the money he has been giving them. What do you recommend?

  • Tiuta joins W&B Mortgage Solutions panel

    12 Aug 2008

    Bridging provider Tiuta, has joined W&B Mortgage Solutions packaged panel.

  • TMA launches two-year tracker at 5.99%

    12 Aug 2008

    The Mortgage Alliance has launched a two-year tracker mortgage funded by Abbey for Intermediaries with an initial pay rate of 5.99%.

  • TMA offers Abbey two-year semi-exclusive

    12 Aug 2008

    The Mortgage Alliance has launched a two-year semi-exclusive tracker mortgage funded by Abbey for Intermediaries.

  • Value Yourself

    12 Aug 2008

    New research by the Post Office has revealed that the average person in the UK thinks they are worth £350,000.

  • W&B appoints Tiuta to packaged panel

    12 Aug 2008

    Bridging provider Tiuta, has joined W&B Mortgage Solutions packaged panel.

  • What a shower

    11 Aug 2008

    Mole was invited to Cheltenham to watch some cricket on Tuesday by the nice folk at Stroud & Swindon.

  • Yorkshire cuts fixed rates by up to 0.45%

    14 Aug 2008

    Yorkshire Building Society is launching products across its fixed rate range with reductions of up to 0.45%.

  • Your Move sees July rental demand rocket 75%

    15 Aug 2008

    Demand for rented accommodation has risen by 76% year-on-year figures from Your Move show.

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