Mortgage Strategy
18 August 2008

  • MoneyQuest founder to leave

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Repossession orders up 24%

    18 Aug 2008

    The number of home owners faced with the threat of repossession has risen by almost a quarter since this time last year, statistics from the Ministry of Justice reveal. A report on repossessions for Q2 2008 shows that 28,658 repossession orders were made during this period on a seasonally adjusted basis.

  • £500,000-Plus deals still available

    18 Aug 2008

    More than one in three lenders are still offering mortgages of over £500,000, says Mform.co.uk.

  • A&L shareholders to vote on Santander

    19 Aug 2008

    Alliance & Leicester has called on shareholders to approve its takeover by Banco Santander on September 16.

  • A&L shareholders to vote on Santander takeover

    19 Aug 2008

    Alliance & Leicester has called on shareholders to approve its takeover by Banco Santander on September 16.

  • Abbey cuts rates on fixed and flexible deals

    20 Aug 2008

    Abbey has reduced its two and three-year fixed rates by up to 0.25%.

  • Abbey expands access to broker exclusives

    18 Aug 2008

    Abbey for Intermediaries has expanded access to its range of broker exclusives to include Countrywide.

  • Alliances the key to HIP development

    18 Aug 2008

    Brokers, IFAs and lenders are offering HIP services to consumers and lucrative partnerships with pack providers will become more common as the sector grows, says Jennifer Slaughter

  • AMPD tie-in with Money Partners

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Asking prices in freefall, says Rightmove

    18 Aug 2008

    Rightmove has revealed that UK asking prices are falling faster this August than ever before.

  • B&B appoints new CEO

    18 Aug 2008

    Richard Pym has been appointed chief executive of beleaguered lender Bradford & Bingley.

  • B&B sees 28% take-up of rights issue

    18 Aug 2008

    Bradford & Bingley’s rights issue has surpassed expectations with a take-up of almost 28% for its £400m cash call.

  • B&B sees 28% take-up of rights issue

    18 Aug 2008

    Bradford & Bingley’s rights issue has surpassed expectations with a take-up of almost 28% for its £400m cash call.

  • B&W unveils broker deals

    18 Aug 2008

    Bristol & West Mortgages has launched a range of broker products with free legals and valuations. The deals include a three-year fixed rate at 6.15% with a 1% arrangement fee and a three-year buy-to-let fixed rate at 6.85%.

  • BDS debt training sees strong takeup

    20 Aug 2008

    BDS Mortgage Group has arranged debt management training for 71 brokers with debt specialist Guardian.

  • BDS Secured sees business volumes jump 25%

    21 Aug 2008

    BDS Secured Loans has seen business volumes jump by 25%, since the introduction of its online sourcing system.

  • BDS trains brokers in debt management

    20 Aug 2008

    BDS Mortgage Group in conjunction with Guardian, has trained 71 brokers to advise on debt management.

  • Best buy rates up 0.64%, reveals Mform.co.uk

    19 Aug 2008

    Rates at the top of the best buy tables are up by an average of 0.64% compared to this time last year, reveals research from Mform.co.uk.

  • Birkett needs minority vote

    18 Aug 2008

    A minority vote is all that is needed for chief executive Lee Birkett and his mother, finance director Lynne Birkett, to retain their positions as directors of Prestbury at this week's extraordinary general meeting.

  • Birkett reign over Prestbury to continue

    20 Aug 2008

    Chief executive Lee Birkett will retain his position at Prestbury after gaining 59% of the vote in his favour at the company’s extraordinary general meeting earlier today.

  • Birkett reigns victorious in Prestbury battle

    20 Aug 2008

    Chief executive Lee Birkett will retain his position at Prestbury after gaining 59% of the vote in his favour at the companys extraordinary general meeting earlier today.

  • Bizarre underwriting excuse wasted everyone's time

    18 Aug 2008

    I regularly read with interest the sometimes bizarre reasons underwriters come up with for stalling or even declining applications. One that may interest readers is a recent case I submitted to Britannia.

  • Bleak economic signs strengthen case for MPPI

    18 Aug 2008

    With repossessions and unemployment on the increase, insurance brokers say there has never been a better time to sell mortgage payment protection insurance.

  • Book closes on Prestbury feud

    21 Aug 2008

    The ongoing tug of war between chief executive Lee Birkett and fellow Prestbury shareholders has come to an end, with Birkett reigning victorious and grabbing 59% of the shareholders vote, to maintain his position.

  • Borrowers expect falling prices

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Borrowers leave capital for suburbs

    18 Aug 2008

    Home owners are fleeing London to buy family homes in the suburbs, says Moveme.com.Tunbridge Wells and Guildford topped the website's Migration Monitor poll as the most popular destinations in Q2 2008. It says prices in the suburbs have fallen faster than London ones.

  • Bridgewater team caters for brokers

    18 Aug 2008

    Bridgewater Equity Release has put together a team to focus exclusively on brokers. The team will be led by Peter Welch, new head of sales and distribution at Bridgewater, who will be responsible for account management and key relationships.

  • Bridgingloans.com joins Creative's panel

    18 Aug 2008

    Bridgingloans.com has joined Creative Mortgage Solutions' specialist bridging finance panel.

  • Broadhead to quit AHIPP for BSA role

    18 Aug 2008

    Paul Broadhead says he remains an advocate of HIPs despite revealing last week that he is jumping ship from the Association of Home Information Pack Providers to join the Building Societies Association.

  • Brokers may have dug own graves

    18 Aug 2008

    During the boom times brokers made hay by charging clients high fees but in this bear market consumers are balking at the cost, which is making a bad situation worse, says Julian Wells

  • Brokers miss a trick by not selling HIPs

    18 Aug 2008

    This year I've had many conversations with brokers about how they can boost their income in a declining mortgage market.

  • Brokers used less in Q2, says CML

    18 Aug 2008

    The number of first-time buyers and home movers using brokers fell in Q2 2008, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has revealed.

  • Brown and the Joker

    19 Aug 2008

    Over the summer Gordon Brown confided to a journalist there are moments when he sees himself as a modern day Heathcliff - something which he holds in common with Sir Cliff Richard who went as far as writing, producing and performing in a fifth rate rock opera based on Emily Bronte’s romantic hero.

  • Brown must act as transactions sink below 90's levels, says Wolsey

    19 Aug 2008

    Housing transactions have fallen to a lower level than the last housing market crash and the government must step up, says Wolsey Securities, a finance specialist for housebuilders.

  • BTL investors set to withdraw £18bn

    18 Aug 2008

    Investors are set to extract £18bn of equity from buy-to-let properties, as the prices in the residential market continue to slide, predicts Skandia.

  • Business as usual for BuildLoan

    18 Aug 2008

    BuildLoan, the intermediary arm of BuildStore, is reassuring brokers it's business as usual following The Mortgage Business' departure from the market.

  • Business confidence at six-year low

    18 Aug 2008

    Business confidence is dropping fast as firms react to predictions of slower consumer spending.

  • Business volumes jump 25% at BDS Secured

    21 Aug 2008

    BDS Secured Loans has seen business volumes jump 25%, since the introduction of its online sourcing system.

  • Cameron slams government

    18 Aug 2008

    Conservative leader David Cameron has labelled the government reckless over its recent comments hinting at a Stamp Duty freeze.

  • Cheshire Mortgage Corporation offers help to TMB brokers

    22 Aug 2008

    Cheshire Mortgage Corporation has reiterated its commitment to the mortgage market in light of The Mortgage Business brand being terminated.

  • Clients need ID fraud cover

    18 Aug 2008

    With the biggest ever identity theft scam brought to court in the US last week, general insurance broker Berkeley Alexander says it's high time brokers ensured their clients were protected against this growing threat.

  • Conference by e-standards firm

    18 Aug 2008

    Electronic standards organisation PISCES is hosting its annual conference on September 29 and 30 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh. The conference will focus on how technology and e-standards are likely to play a significant role in a changing economic climate.

  • Consider selling business protection

    18 Aug 2008

    So why not consider selling products less reliant on the mortgage market, such as business protection? With an estimated 4.5 million firms in the UK, this market could provide a huge opportunity to generate additional income.

  • Conveyancer appoints manager

    18 Aug 2008

    Conveyancing Alliance has appointed Emma Pursey as finance and operations manager.

  • Coventry increases market share three-fold

    21 Aug 2008

    Coventry, the UKs fourth largest society, increased its net mortgage lending by 24% to 851m in the first half of 2008, three times its normal market share.

  • Coventry increases net mortgage lending by 24%

    21 Aug 2008

    Coventry, the UKs fourth largest society, increased its net mortgage lending by 24% to 851m in the first half of 2008, three times its normal market share.

  • Credit bite

    18 Aug 2008

    The credit crunch is prov-ing lethal to more than just Yanks' wallets.

  • Credit Suisse UK arm fined £5.6m

    18 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has warned it will impose tougher pen-alties for firms' organisational failures after fining Credit Suisse's UK arm £5.6m.

  • Dearling to launch Clear Start Partnerships

    21 Aug 2008

    Keith Dearling, founder and former managing director of Advantage, is gearing up to launch Clear Start Partnerships, a broker arm of Debt Free Direct.

  • DIY Packaging abolishes monthly fee

    20 Aug 2008

    Mortgage 2000 DIY Packaging system has abolished its monthly subscription, which it claims will save brokers £1074 a year.

  • Dual pricing still overshadowing brokers

    19 Aug 2008

    Compliance systems provider, Home Buyer Systems, has calculated that lenders’ dual pricing continues to make broker products uncompetitive when compared with direct-to-lender deals.

  • Easier2Move fully committed to AHIPP code's standards

    18 Aug 2008

    We were surprised to read your article in the August 4 edition headlined 'AHIPP rejects code of conduct criticism', which states that Easier2move does not think that the Hip code supported by the Association of Home Information Pack Providers goes far enough in ensuring the accuracy of the packs produced by our members.

  • EDGE to go whole of market

    18 Aug 2008

    Sourcing system EDGEv2, part of the Enterprise Group, will source a whole of market panel of lenders from Q4 2008.

  • EDGEv2 goes whole of market

    18 Aug 2008

    Sourcing system EDGEv2, part of the Enterprise Group, will source a whole of market panel of lenders from Q4 2008.

  • Em- exclusive via First National

    18 Aug 2008

    Em-financial has unveiled an exclusive free valuation and legal fees deal via GE Money Home Lending subsidiary First National.

  • Em- to close East Kilbride office

    18 Aug 2008

    Em-financial has revealed it will close its East Kilbride office to improve efficiency.

  • Equity Release Club launches 0.1% cash back deal

    20 Aug 2008

    Equity Release Club and Just Retirement are giving members access to a 0.1% cash back promotion.

  • Eurodebt launches broker marketing tool

    21 Aug 2008

    Debt management provider, EuroDebt, has launched a broker marketing toolkit to encourage brokers to promote debt management. It is designed to give brokers ready-made support to help them communicate the advantages of alternative debt solutions, including debt management plans, to customers and prospects. Brokers will get access to a range of marketing tools, such as direct mail leaflets and flyers, referral vouchers, local press advertising templates and wall posters.

  • Evaluate launches KFI engine

    18 Aug 2008

    Evaluate Technologies has launched a Key Facts Illustration engine allowing brokers to generate KFIs.

  • Evaluate picks A&L for panel

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Fake payslip companies must be tackled to beat fraud

    18 Aug 2008

    Regarding your recent story entitled 'FSA bans broker for fraud involvement' (Mortgage Strategy Online), I am not surprised that yet another broker has been banned for dishonesty and I'm sure he won't be the last.

  • Farewell marcel

    18 Aug 2008

    With a tear in Mole's eye, Mortgage Strategy bid farewell to uber news editor Marcel Le Gouais last week. He has hung up his spurs at Strategy to seek fame and fortune as a mime artist.

  • Fewer options for adverse customers

    18 Aug 2008

    GE Money Home Lending has cut its sub-prime range, leaving adverse borrowers with nowhere to turn. And near-prime customers are feeling the heat too, says Rob Clifford

  • Firms must close compliance gap

    18 Aug 2008

    A recent survey of mortgage and insurance brokers carried out by MS2M shows that they still have some way to go to comply with FSA regulations, says Julie Alderson

  • Firms team up for web commission

    18 Aug 2008

    Positive Solutions has teamed up with IFA Conveyancing, Bluetrust Conveyancing and the Halifax Conveyancing Service to offer brokers commission of up to £200 per online referral.

  • FSA crackdown claims two more scalps

    18 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority continued its crackdown on mortgage fraud last week as it banned two dishonest brokers for their involvement in criminal activity.

  • FSA waives fine for Bournemouth broker

    22 Aug 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has reprimanded mortgage broker Leybridge in Bournemouth for failing to ensure it provided suitable advice.

  • GMAC securities holding up well

    18 Aug 2008

    Fitch Ratings last week reported that despite the credit crunch, GMAC-RFC's RMAC securitisation programme is holding up well. The ratings agency says that despite growing arrears due to the current market turmoil, RMAC 2004 and 2005 have maintained a good performance. It says the securities have benefited from two to three years of house price increases, have significant amounts of excess spread to cover losses and virtually all loans with fixed and discount rates have reverted to SVRs. ...

  • Goldsmith Williams signs up Mortgage Talk

    18 Aug 2008

    Goldsmith Williams is to provide Mortgage Talk with inhouse conveyancing support.

  • Gross lending at £24.8bn for July

    20 Aug 2008

    Gross mortgage lending in July saw a 27% year-on-year decline to £24.8bn says the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

  • Gross mortgage lending down 27% on last year

    20 Aug 2008

    Gross mortgage lending in July saw a 27% year-on-year decline to £24.8bn says the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

  • Guardian Homeloans offers 50% commission to brokers

    19 Aug 2008

    Secured loan specialist, Guardian Homeloans is trying to entice brokers by offering them a 55% commission share.

  • Guru takes key role at KRS

    18 Aug 2008

    Specialist lending guru Terry Pritchard has joined Key Retirement Solutions as managing director of key partnerships in a massive coup for the business.

  • Halifax offers £100 proc fee to Pink mortgage club members

    21 Aug 2008

    Halifax Intermediaries is offering a £100 proc fee bonus to directly authorised brokers who submit business via Pink Home Loans Mortgage Club or Club VIP.

  • Halifax offers £100 proc fee to Pink mortgage club members

    21 Aug 2008

    Halifax Intermediaries is offering a £100 proc fee bonus to directly authorised brokers who submit business via Pink Home Loans Mortgage Club or Club VIP.

  • HBOS soothes fears after TMB exit

    18 Aug 2008

    HBOS has pledged not to leave packagers high and dry following its decision last week to ditch The Mortgage Business.

  • Hipstar goes into administration

    22 Aug 2008

    Hipstar, the Home Information Pack provider conceived by Network Data’s Richard Griffiths more than three years ago, has been placed into administration with the loss of 22 jobs, including chief executive Tim Jones.

  • HoC director quits firm

    18 Aug 2008

    Home of Choice has revealed that mortgage director Mal McConechy has left the company by mutual agreement. HoC says it is disappointed to lose McConechy as he made a significant contribution to the company's success in the past three years.

  • Impartial.co.uk launches mortgage adviser finder service

    18 Aug 2008

    Impartial.co.uk has launched Find a mortgage dviser, a service allowing consumers to search from a database of over 5,000 authorised mortgage professionals. The search allows consumers to search for a whole of market mortgage adviser by postcode, mortgage type, level of qualifications and payment methods.

  • Industry is mad not to back Cicero plan

    18 Aug 2008

    Cicero Consulting's clarion call last week for lenders to club together to build a fighting fund to rescue our beleaguered market appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

  • Industry must back Cicero rescue plan

    18 Aug 2008

    We have had 10 months of the worst ever peacetime liquidity crisis.

  • Industry split over Moody’s decision

    18 Aug 2008

    The secured loan industry is split as to whether Andy Moody, managing director at newly formed Loan Options, did the right thing by putting Loanoptions.co.uk into administration and relaunching.

  • It's time the BoE took charge and put the banking sector's house in order

    18 Aug 2008

    I would like to congratulate the banking sector for projecting a wonderful image of UK plc to the world and for contributing to stability in the financial services sector.

  • It's time to get real and abolish HIPs

    18 Aug 2008

    The gap between penning Mortgage Strategy columns and their publication means that predictions are invariably eclipsed by events, which is why I tend to write reflectively rather than off-ering a window on tomorrow's financial services world. This doesn't stop me getting things wrong but it is easier.

  • John Heron, Group Director of Mortgages, Paragon

    18 Aug 2008

    This week A-level students picked up their exam results, hopefully securing their first choice place at university.

  • Joined-up thinking urgently required

    18 Aug 2008

    While any government initiative to stimulate demand in the housing sector should be encouraged, I'm not too excited by the rumoured alterations to Stamp Duty.

  • Just Retirement pulls upfront fees

    18 Aug 2008

    Just Retirement has scrapped upfront fees on its equity release range from August 14 to December 31, potentially saving applicants 700. The firm aims to make equity release more accessible.

  • KRS highlights £900 cashback deal

    21 Aug 2008

    Key Retirement Solutions is reminding brokers of its £900 cashback deal with Just Retirement.

  • L&C scoops National Business Award

    18 Aug 2008

    London & Country Mortgages has won a National Business Award for Wales and the West region.

  • Labour could send NR to the rescue

    18 Aug 2008

    The government has been teasing us with a number of mortgage market-saving initiatives that it might or might not announce as part of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's comeback campaign.

  • Lame

    18 Aug 2008

    Curses! Some malevolent entity has cursed Mortgage Strategy's production desk.

  • LeadPoint to hold ad:tech seminar

    20 Aug 2008

    LeadPoint will be hosting a lead generation seminar at ad:tech, a digital marketing conference next month.

  • Leadpoint to hold seminar at ad:tech

    20 Aug 2008

    LeadPoint will be hosting a lead generation seminar at ad:tech, a digital marketing conference next month.

  • Leeds cuts up to 0.50% off its fixed rate mortgages

    21 Aug 2008

    Leeds has cut the rates on its two-year fixed rate mortgages by up to 0.5% on its new range, available from tomorrow.

  • Leeds returns to 90% LTV market with fix

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Lenders should do more to help borrowers in arrears

    18 Aug 2008

    In response to the story entitled 'FSA warning to specialist lenders over arrears' (Mortgage Strategy Online), I don't think customers are being treated fairly.

  • Life's a beech

    18 Aug 2008

    There were 60th birthday celebrations for Lexicon's Les Beech at the Chickenshed Theatre Company last week.

  • Loans etc slams relaunch of Loanoptions.co.uk

    18 Aug 2008

    Loanoptions.co.uk's decision last week to place itself in administration and relaunch the company under the new brand of Loan Options has led to a dressing down from rival Loans etc.

  • M2000 accuracy claims anger rivals

    18 Aug 2008

    Mortgage 2000 is being taken to task over its recent advertisement campaign that alleges it is the most accurate sourcing system available.

  • Mansfield launches two broker exclusives

    20 Aug 2008

    Mansfield has launched two broker only products available to clients in England and Wales.

  • Marathon Money

    18 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

  • Mark Snape

    18 Aug 2008

    In the last six months we have witnessed some of the shortest product life cycles ever recorded in the mortgage market, with some offers withdrawn hours after launch.

  • Market Watch 18 August 2008

    18 Aug 2008

    Swaps plunged last week and are at a three-month low. Two-year swaps are now more than 1.1% down on where they were a couple of months ago. This is good news for fixed rates as this should mean they continue to tumble. Three- month LIBOR continues to edge its way down. It is now at 5.77% and hopefully will be less than 0.75% above the base rate shortly.

  • Money Partners teams up with admin service

    19 Aug 2008

    Money Partners has added Personal Touch Mortgage Administration Services to its key partner panel.

  • Mortgage rate continue to head south

    19 Aug 2008

    More good news for the mortgage market with the announcement from Lloyds TSB that it is cutting its mortgage rates for the second time in two weeks amid signs that real levels of competition are returning to the market. The lender, which also owns Cheltenham & Gloucester, is reducing its mainstream fixed rates by as much as 0.31%, with trackers coming down 0.1%.

  • Mortgages showing a glimmer of hope

    21 Aug 2008

    News from the Council of Mortgage Lenders that lending activity picked up very slightly in July, with £24.8 billion advanced to borrowers. This is up a modest 5% from June, but still down 27% year on year.

  • MPC split over rate decision

    20 Aug 2008

    The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee were divided over the interest rate at its last meeting earlier in the month.

  • Nationwide overhauls mortgage product range

    22 Aug 2008

    Nationwide is cutting its fixed rate deals by up to 0.20% as part of changes across the whole of its mortgage product range.

  • Nationwide to launch into Irish savings market

    19 Aug 2008

    Nationwide is set to launch into the Irish savings market following approval from the Financial Services Authority.Nationwide will also have to be approved by the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority.The lender says it will initially offer savings products by post, phone and online in the Irish Republic. It adds that it has no plans to launch into mortgages in the region at this stage.

  • Nationwide to launch Irish savings products

    18 Aug 2008

    Nationwide is set to launch into the Irish savings market following approval from the Financial Services Authority.

  • Nemo scraps Hometrack valuations

    21 Aug 2008

    Nemo Personal Finance will no longer accept Hometrack valuations, all applications must now include a full drive by valuation.

  • New edeus savings product offers 2.75% proc fee

    22 Aug 2008

    Edeus has added to its savings range with an exclusive product offering brokers a proc fee of up to 2.75%.

  • New lending to fall by almost 20% this year

    20 Aug 2008

    The future looks bleak, according to Datamonitor’s latest forecast into the mortgage and consumer credit markets.

  • New lending to fall by almost 20% this year

    20 Aug 2008

    The future looks bleak, according to Datamonitor’s latest forecast on the mortgage and consumer credit markets.

  • Newcastle bigwig joins TMC

    18 Aug 2008

    Newcastle's head of intermediary lending has joined The Money Centre on a consultancy basis to head its business development.

  • No easy choices

    18 Aug 2008

    The news that Loanoptions.co.uk is to relaunch as Loan Options seems to have ruffled a few feathers last week.

  • NR launches two-year tracker

    18 Aug 2008

    Northern Rock has launched a two-year fees-free tracker from 5.79% for purchases and remortgages available up to 75% LTV. Borrowers can secure a lower rate for a £1,995 fee. New residential clients can also choose to fix their interest rate and monthly payments for two, five, 10 or 15 years.

  • NR offers brokers fixed rate exclusive

    21 Aug 2008

    Northern Rock is offering brokers an exclusive three-year flexible fixed rate deal at 5.79%.

  • Oakwood apes edeus' golden goodbye

    18 Aug 2008

    Oakwood Homeloans is following in the footsteps of edeus by offering selected borrowers 15% cashback to take their mortgages elsewhere.

  • OFT bans three estate agents

    18 Aug 2008

    The Office of Fair Trading is taking aim at estate agents today banning three estate agents from working in in the industry.

  • One year on and no end in sight for crunch

    18 Aug 2008

    "We have hit bottom and are on the upswing" - those were the words of James Davis, secretary of labour for the US government, in a speech made in the autumn of 1930, almost a year after the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

  • Orbiter Group to set up tranche funding system for lenders

    20 Aug 2008

    Orbiter Group is setting up a loan funding facility to help lenders, packagers and large brokers in the UK deliver products reliably.

  • Orbiter offers tranche management facility

    20 Aug 2008

    Orbiter Group is to offer an online facility to help lenders, distributors and large brokers manage tranches of funds they make available to borrowers via intermediaries.

  • Orbiter to launch sourcing system

    18 Aug 2008

    Orbiter Group is to launch a direct product sourcing system which will give brokers access to direct and broker-only deals from prime and specialist ranges.

  • Over three million borrowers turned down for mortgages

    21 Aug 2008

    Up to 3.4 million borrowers have been turned down at least once for mortgages and loans in the past 18 months, research from GE Money Home Lending shows.

  • Over-55s owe more than 37,000 on mortgages

    18 Aug 2008

    Home owners over the age of 55 face an average outstanding mortgage debt of over 37,000 each, a report from Key Retirement Solutions reveals.

  • Paraplanners bolster broker businesses, says Bradbury Hamilton

    20 Aug 2008

    Chartered financial planner firm Bradbury Hamilton is raving about the benefits of including paraplanners in the daily activities of advice firms.

  • Persimmon would be better off with realistic prices

    18 Aug 2008

    In response to the story 'Persimmon and Halifax link up to help first-timers' (Mortgage Strategy August 11), I think the Double your Deposit scheme is a great idea but is it really designed to benefit consumers or to secure future Persimmon sales?

  • Pink urges equity release take-up

    18 Aug 2008

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

  • Portfield adds FLM to panel

    20 Aug 2008

    Portfield Loans & Mortgages has added unsecured lender FLM to their panel.

  • Proc fee offer from Halifax as HBOS unveils shake-up

    18 Aug 2008

    Halifax Intermediaries is offering di-rectly authorised bro- kers a 100 proc fee bonus if they access its products via eight key distributors.

  • Property transactions slump to all-time low

    18 Aug 2008

    Property transactions hit a new low in the three months to August 2008, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

  • PTMAS apointed to Money Partner's panel

    19 Aug 2008

    Packager, Personal Touch Mortgage Administration Services has been appointed to Money Partners panel of key partners.

  • Reforms to rental self-regulation

    18 Aug 2008

    The Law Commission is recommending a series of staged reforms to improve self-regulation of the private rental sector. The proposals include the creation of an associated stakeholder board where all aspects of the sector would be represented, as well as a housing standards monitor for England and Wales. It also suggests a code of housing management practice plus landlord accreditation schemes in every local authority.

  • Rental sector outshines sales in July, reveals RICS

    19 Aug 2008

    Prospective sellers are turning to the rental sector as the lettings market continues to outperform housing sales, says the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

  • Richard Pym named as new B&B chief

    18 Aug 2008

    Richard Pym has been appointed chief executive of Bradford & Bingley.

  • Santander woos execs with bonus bonanza

    19 Aug 2008

    Santander is offering bonuses of between 75% and 125% of their salaries to key executives if they agree to stay on at Alliance & Leicester until next December.

  • Saving may not pay, says ASI

    18 Aug 2008

    Home owners choosing to put money aside rather than pay out for mortgage payment protection insurance could face a significant shortfall in times of financial hardship, says Assurant Solutions Intermediary.

  • Scottish mortgage market slowdown less severe than UK

    21 Aug 2008

    The mortgage market in Scotland has contracted, but is still faring better than in the UK, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders Scotland show.

  • Select & Protect's broker registrations double

    19 Aug 2008

    General insurance provider Select & Protect has doubled its broker registrations to over 10,500 in the past 12 months.

  • SHIP comes under fire for moving goalposts

    18 Aug 2008

    Safe Home Income Plans has been criticised for changing its reporting methods to ignore year-on-year falls in new business.

  • Sow seeds for healthy B2L growth

    18 Aug 2008

    Brokers should not neglect cultivating their buy-to-let clients during this tricky time for the economy as the long-term prognosis for the sector is good, says Sue Cox

  • Stamp Duty must be reformed to bring FTBs back to market

    18 Aug 2008

    Scrapping Stamp Duty in the short term would be great news but mainly for speculators and buy-to-let investors.

  • Student buy-to-lets buck the trend

    18 Aug 2008

    Research carried out by the Property Investor Show shows rental yields for student accommodation reached over 10% in some towns.

  • Taking a fine-tooth comb to NR results

    18 Aug 2008

    The national media has offered a cursory examination of Northern Rock’s first financial results post-nationalisation, but in-depth scrutiny reveals a more complex picture, says Simon Woolcott

  • Technical recession looming, warns BCC

    18 Aug 2008

    The British Chambers of Commerce has warned the Monetary Policy Committee that the longer it waits before cutting rates, the bigger the danger of the UK entering a technical recession.

  • Terry Pritchard joins KRS

    18 Aug 2008

    Specialist lending guru Terry Pritchard has joined Key Retirement Solutions as managing director of Key Partnerships in a massive coup for the business.

  • The best mortgage and how to find it

    20 Aug 2008

    When people find out that you work in mortgages, the first question they invariably ask is "what's the best mortgage?" A fair question I think. After all, it's like asking a chef what the best pudding is. However, unlike the pudding question (it has to be apple crumble) the answer to what the best mortgage is does not come quite so easy. When I begin with "the best mortgage for you will depend on a number of factors such as mortgage size, fees, freebies", the general reaction is "just ...

  • The Big One

    20 Aug 2008

    There is growing speculation amongst city analysts that another big jolt is about to hit.

  • The crunch's not so happy anniversary

    18 Aug 2008

    We are already one year on from the point when the credit crunch first bared its teeth. Since then it's barely left the headlines and has dominated industry thinking.

  • The economy cannot operate on rumour and uncertainty

    18 Aug 2008

    The rumours that Stamp Duty could be temporarily scrapped are going to close the market down until a clear decision is taken.

  • The Gold Standard

    19 Aug 2008

    It's nice to see the papers all proclaiming some good news for a change.

  • The government must make Stamp Duty intentions clear

    18 Aug 2008

    Let's hope the government makes a definitive announcement about Stamp Duty quickly so as not to deter buyers from making the plunge now.

  • The Patellis principle

    18 Aug 2008

    George Patellis was an early starter in the sub-prime market. He talks to Robyn Hall about why a more prudent approach to underwriting and risk could have helped stave off the credit crunch and might bring the market back faster

  • This week's top question from CashQuestions.com

    18 Aug 2008

    Question: My client will be made redundant in the next few weeks and has been told he will receive a payoff of about £40,000. He has an outstanding mortgage of £43,000 and is unsure what to do with the money. Should he pay his mortgage off or invest the funds? His partner works so the couple could still pay the mortgage until he gets another job if he chose to invest the money. What would you advise?

  • TMA launches two-year tracker

    18 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%. The product is available for remortgage deals with LTVs of up to 60% and a maximum loan size of 550,000. It includes free valuations on properties valued up to 2.5m and standard legal fees with no higher lending charges.

  • Up to 3.4 million borrowers turned down for loans

    21 Aug 2008

    Research from GE Money Home Lending shows up to 450,000 mortgage and loan customers apply four or more times before their application is accepted.

  • Website to put brokers in touch with clients

    18 Aug 2008

    Unbiased.co.uk has launched a mortgage-only website to connect brokers and consumers.

  • What the Victorians did for London

    18 Aug 2008

    The capital is testament to he Victorians’ love of Gothic architecture and their surprisingly advanced technology, including their early adoption of electricity, says Simon White

  • Who knows when the market will bounce back

    18 Aug 2008

    What are we to make of all the conflicting views about when and how the mortgage market will recover from the current downturn?

  • YCS to offer brokers in house document service

    20 Aug 2008

    Your Case Signed, a document delivery and collection service for financial services firms, is working on the launch of an in house system, which will allow brokers to manage the cases themselves.

Poll

Should the Financial Conduct Authority be more intrusive than the Financial Services Authority?

Current Issue

Lending Zone
petitions
debate
Define Advice
Advanced search