Mortgage Strategy
2 May 2005

  • 14 lenders already signed up to benchmarking study

    5 May 2005

    Marlborough Stirling has revealed that fourteen lenders have already indicated they will take part in its 2005 mortgage benchmarking study.

  • A View From The floor

    2 May 2005

    Alison Rolls, head of communications at Norwich and Peterborough, says lender websites should be designed to make life easier for mortgage intermediaries

  • Abbey opens commercial mortgage office

    6 May 2005

    Abbey Commercial Mortgages is opening a south-west office in Newton Abbot.

  • Accepting an offer and resigning from your job

    2 May 2005

    Mark Witcomb is senior consultant at Venatus Business Intelligence

  • Affordability debate growing

    2 May 2005

    The firms say the standard use of income multiples is over-simplistic and misleading, and hinders first-time buyers. They say they have had to respond to calls from customers and brokers to be more flexible and innovative when calculating borrowers' ability to pay.Duncan Berry, director of mortgage sales at First National and igroup, says: "Unless lenders respond to calls to be more flexible and contemporary in their approach buyers, particularly first-timers, will struggle to realise ...

  • AfI to broaden product scope

    2 May 2005

    Ricky Okey, Abbey for Intermediaries' recently appointed director - mortgages and protection, says the lender will be moving into new product areas alongside its core business.Speaking to Mortgage Strategy, former Charcol managing director Okey says Abbey will look at launching innovative protection and mortgage products over the next year.He says: "We'll look at launching more niche products. For example, buy-to-let is an area where Abbey has missed opportunities in ...

  • AMI launches Mortgage Intermediary Census

    2 May 2005

    The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries has launched its Mortgage Intermediary Census.The monthly study will focus on finding out the opinions and intentions of AMI members, who account for 70% of the industry.Each month AMI will survey members on a range of issues with the first topic being advisers' views on FSA regulation.AMI is working in conjunction with specialist firm, NMG Research, to ensure the validity and robustness of the polling.AMI director Chris Cummings ...

  • AToM to have access to Victoria Mortgage Funding products

    4 May 2005

    All Types of Mortgages will be one of only 16 packagers to have access to the products launched by Victoria Mortgage Funding.

  • Blackmore fights FTBs' corner

    2 May 2005

    Rachel Blackmore, spokeswoman for the Building Societies Association, is pounding the streets in the run-up to this week's election as she stands for a seat in Stratford-Upon-Avon.Representing Labour/Co-operative, she says the plight of first-time buyers has been one of the central planks of her local campaign.Writing in Mortgage Strategy's cover feature this week on the election, she says: "We are building fewer houses than we did in the 1920s and there are not enough ...

  • Bradford & Bingley launches stepped tracker mortgage

    5 May 2005

    Bradford & Bingley is offering borrowers an exclusive three-year stepped tracker mortgage, funded by the Alliance & Leicester.

  • BSA warns of cost of regulation

    5 May 2005

    In his chairman's address at the Building Societies Association conference in Harrogate, John Parker warned of the high risk of regulation.

  • BSA warns of over regulation

    5 May 2005

    The Building Societies Association has warned that over regulation of the mortgage market is a real possibility at its annual conference.

  • BuildStore teams up with Amber Homeloans

    6 May 2005

    BuildStore has teamed up with Amber Homeloans to launch a redemption free tracker mortgage and introduce an enhanced arrears stage payment mortgage via Buildloan.

  • Buy-to-let investors shun higher LTV ratios

    4 May 2005

    The latest findings from Mortgage Trust's buy-to-let intermediary forecast show that 63% of landlords are finding no use for increased LTV limits.

  • Buy-to-let market maturing, says Paragon

    6 May 2005

    Paragon Mortgages first quarter 2005 survey of mortgage advisers and brokers suggests that the buy-to-let market is beginning to mature after a period of strong growth.

  • Call for bad ads clampdown

    2 May 2005

    Mortgage provider MD Nationwide, which ensures its adverts meet industry standards, wants the FSA to act on its promise to stop ads that mislead the public by not including relevant information.Dave Symondson, director of MD Nationwide, says: "The FSA said some time ago it would crack down on adverts that don't carry the required cautions and warnings."But you only have to pick up a national newspaper or watch daytime TV to see hundreds of examples of adverts with no warning ...

  • Careless talk could cost you dear

    2 May 2005

    These days, when asked by a client to venture an opinion, mortgage advisers must be careful to answer in a way that won't get them into hot water further down the line, says Neal Smith

  • Chelsea relaxes buy-to-let lending criteria

    4 May 2005

    Chelsea has relaxed its buy-to let lending policy.

  • CML accused of lacking teeth on HIPs

    2 May 2005

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has been accused of lacking teeth on the issue of Home Information Packs.Michael Bolton, managing director of BM Solutions, says: "There is the danger the intermediary market will suffer from the arrival of HIPs, as the larger providers look to engineer their supply."And Stephen Knight, executive chairman at GMAC-RFC, says: "The problem with HIPs is that the big estate agents are lobbying the government hard to implement them, saying there is ...

  • CML describes TCF as a threat

    4 May 2005

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders' director general, Michael Coogan has warned that the Financial Services Authority's Treating Customers Fairly is a threat for the industry.

  • Confidence is up, says MEX buy-to-let survey

    4 May 2005

    The latest buy-to-let survey from Mortgage Express shows 39% of existing buy-to-let clients plan to extend their portfolios within the next six months.

  • Conservative government would bring sanity to market

    2 May 2005

    By Danny Lovey The general election will be crucial to the future of many small mortgage consultants. Most are feeling frustrated and worried about the future and the weight of the compliance burden. A small broker is not like Halifax with a string of compliance teams running around wiping the noses of its staff so it can comply with the reams of documents coming out of Canary Wharf, provided of course there is a consensus on what the reams of documents mean. Regulation ...

  • Could interest-only be the next scandal?

    2 May 2005

    However, the Financial Services Authority is believed to have targeted the products as a potential area of mis-selling as clients may not be fully aware of the terms they are accepting.

  • Coulson to launch network with former Zurich staff

    2 May 2005

    Former Zurich Mortgage Network director Coulson will head the Wiltshire-based Home of Choice as managing director, while Keith Baldwin will take the role of chief executive and chairman, with Gerry O'Brien as sales director.Coulson was offered the role of area sales director for the North in Zurich Advice Network but says he turned down the role as the company was heading in a direction in which he did not want to go.He says: "I was offered the role of area sales director for ...

  • Council tax soars by 91% in last decade

    3 May 2005

    Key Retirement Solutions has discovered that over the last 10 years, average council tax bills in England have risen by 91%.

  • Coventry supports Rover employees

    2 May 2005

    Coventry is offering support to 300 of its borrowers who have been affected by the closure of car maker Rover.Martin Ritchley, chief executive of Coventry, has written to customers who are believed to be former Rover employees, asking them to get in touch and talk about financial worries they may have because of the closure.Yvonne White, spokeswoman for Coventry, says: "We wrote to customers as part of our customer care policy. For many employees, the first thing that they would ...

  • Curriculum Vitae - John Rupert Rattigan

    2 May 2005

    "I didn't know if the camera was filming another man's hand on my knee"

  • Dear Delia

    2 May 2005

    Dear Delia Mark is a director of his own interior design company and earns 155,000 a year.

  • Eg solutions seeks AIM admission

    3 May 2005

    Eg solutions, the IT software and services company, has unveiled plans to seek admission to the Alternative Investment Market. eg solutions plans to raise a net 2m for the company through the issue of new shares to fund working capital, to support growth, to develop proprietary software and to enter new markets.

  • Electronically searching for success

    2 May 2005

    Critical to the success of the government's e-conveyancing and Home Information Pack initiatives is electronic access to online local authority search information, says Mark Riddick

  • Euro-mortgage plan slated

    2 May 2005

    In a report entitled European Mortgage Markets: The danger of forcing integration, Miles, chief UK economist at Morgan Stanley and author of a report on long-term fixed rates, argues that what matters is the price of credit, not simply promoting integrated cross-border lending.He says the price of credit in different countries is fairly uniform once an allowance is made for differences in risk and product features.Cross-border lending is still limited and national ...

  • Exchange adds MEX to Exweb portal

    2 May 2005

    The Exchange has added Mortgage Express to its equity release trading platform on the Exweb portal.Using the equity release trading platform, financial intermediaries can now research, quote and source equity release products from 11 lenders, representing the majority of the equity release market.Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show equity release mortgages newly advanced in 2004 totalled 1.2bn, up 10% over 2003.Based on current market dynamics MEX predicts ...

  • Fall in interest rates predicted

    5 May 2005

    Economist David Smith has predicted that the Bank of England base rate will not be raised this year and the next movement will be downwards.

  • Financial Health Matters

    2 May 2005

    Child Trust Funds went live in April. Most of the media noise around CTFs has so far been about where recipients should invest the initial cash voucher, but it's the bigger picture that has more interesting implications for the mortgage industry.

  • Focus is key to brand building

    2 May 2005

    Paul Griffin, managing director of SmartMove, says that rather than expensive advertising focussed marketing is the key to brand building in the financial services sector

  • Freedom Finance restructures senior management team

    4 May 2005

    Freedom Finance has restructured its senior management team in readiness for expansion of the group's operations within the UK and across Europe.

  • FSA committed to reducing regulation

    5 May 2005

    The Financial Services Authority says it is committed to reducing the cost of regulation and realises it must do better.

  • FSA regulation is a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut'

    5 May 2005

    Portman group development director Matthew Wyles has described Financial Services Authority regulation as taking a huge sledgehammer to crack a small nut.

  • FSA reports positive results from investigation

    5 May 2005

    The Financial Services Authority has reported a positive outcome to its nationwide investigation into the level of unauthorised mortgage business being conducted.

  • FTB definitions cause confusion in market

    2 May 2005

    Defining first-time buyers and sellers is causing problems in the mortgage market, industry pundits warned at the Mortgage Strategy round table last week.Ray Boulger, senior technical manager at Charcol, says: "The problem with Council of Mortgage Lenders statistics on first-time buyers is that they're grossly misleading as its definition of a first-time buyer is different from that used by lenders. The CML sees anyone who is buying and not selling at the same time as a first-time ...

  • GE Home Lending strengthens marketing team

    5 May 2005

    GE Consumer Finance Home Lending has made two senior appointments to its marketing team.

  • GE Life cuts lifetime interest rate and launches cashback

    4 May 2005

    GE Life is to cut the interest rate on its lifetime mortgage from 7.19% to 6.69%, making it one of the most competitive fixed rate products in the lifetime market.

  • GMAC-RFC unveils portfolio acquisition from Amber

    3 May 2005

    GMAC-RFC has unveiled the first portfolio acquisition of mortgage loans from Amber Homeloans.

  • Green paper to come on European mortgage market integration

    4 May 2005

    A green paper is being prepared by the European Commission on how the European mortgage market, including the UK, can be integrated.

  • House prices unchanged in April, says Halifax

    6 May 2005

    House prices were unchanged in April according to the latest Halifax House Price Index.

  • IMF issues warning about tight credit spreads

    3 May 2005

    In its latest six-monthly report the International Monetary Fund is suggesting that low short-term interest rates and low volatility are encouraging investors to move out along the risk spectrum in search of relative value whilst the incentives to use leverage in order to boost overall returns remain strong.

  • Interest-only could be next mis-selling scandal

    2 May 2005

    The industry is split on the issue of whether interest-only mortgages are a mis-selling time bomb.The Financial Services Authority has highlighted interest-only deals as a potential risk area.Michael Bolton, managing director of BM Solutions, says: "The potential implications of advising clients to take interest only deals could be huge. When selling interest-only mortgages, the adviser or IFA must heed MCOB and make sure the client is aware of their responsibilities, however ...

  • Intermediaries not using late night on-line systems

    6 May 2005

    Research by GMAC-RFC shows that 79% of intermediaries never use lenders on-line systems after 10pm.

  • Internet Insite

    2 May 2005

    Mortgage Strategy's weekly guide to what's hot and what's not on the web. Jeff Sutherland-Kay checks out the websites of brokers, product providers, clubs, networks and packagers

  • Lehman might buy another lender

    2 May 2005

    Investment bank Lehman Brothers is believed to be planning to make a further acquisition before the end of next year - possibly a smaller lender - having acquired Preferred Mortgages and Southern Pacific Mortgages Limited.The news follows Bill Cherry's appointment as head of UK mortgage businesses at Lehman earlier this year. Cherry is dividing his time between his new role and his existing post as managing director of SPML.A spokeswoman for Lehman declined to comment on whether ...

  • Liquid assets

    2 May 2005

    There are now more than 40 equity release schemes on the market, the majority of which are available through Safe Home Income Plans.

  • Loving neighbours are a turn-off for buyers

    2 May 2005

    noisy sex was cited by one fifth of respondents in a survey by website propertyfinder.com as the most hated noise made by neighbours.Noise is the most important factor separating the wheat from the chaff.Respondents were also particularly averse to loud parties and domestic arguments.The research shows that, apart from that damp cellar, who lives next door and what they do is just as important when deciding where to live and how much to pay.It shows househunters look at ...

  • M2i conveyancing panel launched

    2 May 2005

    the mortgage support service from M2000, m2i, has launched a conveyancing panel for its members.The service gives them access to three leading providers of conveyancing - United Legal Services, PSM Online and LMS.United Legal Services provides eConveyancer, which enables introducers to submit conveyancing work to over 150 solicitor firms who are members of the ULS nationwide panel.Ian Turrell, associate director of ULS, says: "This relationship offers m2i members the chance ...

  • Make your mark

    2 May 2005

    The political parties are all after your vote on Thursday so to help you make up your mind, Mortgage Strategy asked each what they would do to bolster the housing marketThe political parties are all after your vote on Thursday so to help you make up your mind, Mortgage Strategy asked each what they would do to bolster the housing market

  • Market Watch

    2 May 2005

    Swaps edged back down after an initial increase last week.

  • MCCB in the firing line again

    2 May 2005

    Colin Harris, chairman of the MCCB, announced at last month's Council of Mortgage Lenders lunch that its estimated 1m surplus will be used to fund a combination of regulatory projects.However, Peter Gladdy, director at Mortgages Direct, says: "The way the money has been distributed is disturbing. Members were not even consulted about where the money was going."Why did the MCCB charge fees for the last period when it knew it would have surplus funds. If it didn't know, why did ...

  • More brokers should be using IT

    2 May 2005

    The experience of Mosaic Mortgage shows why more mortgage intermediaries should be using technology to cut costs and boost service in the regulated environment, says Frank Eve

  • Mortgage 2000 and Kensington launch exclusive

    5 May 2005

    Mortgage 2000 Group has launched an exclusive deal from Kensington Mortgages, available either through the m2-mortgage club or its packaging arm, m2-d&p.Kensington has only released a limited tranche of funds for this exclusive, so intermediaries will need to act fast to take advantage of this deal.The two-year fixed rates come with no extended overhang.

  • Mortgages PLC warns brokers to check introducers

    4 May 2005

    Mortgages PLC is warning brokers they could be held responsible if one of their introductory sources is found guilty of submitting fraudulent mortgage applications.

  • Moving on

    2 May 2005

    Andy Young is looking forward to broadening TBMC's horizons when he takes over as managing director next month, says Rosemary Gallagher

  • MS Live returns to London this week

    2 May 2005

    This Thursday sees Mortgage Strategy Live return to London as part of the Money Marketing Live conference and exhibition.Taking place at Olympia, the event will consist of keynote presentations, focussed seminars and workshops, and an exhibition of the biggest names in the mortgage industry.Experts speaking at the event will include Clive Briault, managing director (retail market) of the Financial Services Authority, Chris Cummings, director of the Association of Mortgage ...

  • Nationwide appoints new head of intermediary markets

    4 May 2005

    Nationwide has appointed Tim Hughes as its head of intermediary markets, to replace Peter Laydon.

  • Nationwide launches three months free MPPI premiums

    4 May 2005

    Nationwide is offering three months free mortgage payment protection insurance cover to customers taking out a mortgage.

  • Net lending to be a third less than last year, says Nationwide

    5 May 2005

    Outgoing Building Societies Association chairman, and Stroud & Swindon chief executive, John Parker says the mutual sector should promote its unique position and leverage its brand quality better.

  • Nicks Notes

    2 May 2005

    A couple of weeks ago the Tonight with Trevor McDonald programme was dedicated to financial protection.

  • No interest rate rise expected

    6 May 2005

    Monday's interest rate decision from the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, deferred because of the UK General Election, is seen as much a foregone conclusion by the financial markets as was that of the re-election of Tony Blair as Prime Minister, notwithstanding his bloody nose.

  • Northern Rock makes rate reductions

    5 May 2005

    Northern Rock has announced a number of rate reductions on its latest range of mortgage products.

  • Offshore outsourcing growing, says Datamonitor

    5 May 2005

    Mortgage processing, insurance underwriting and claims processing are all expected to be increasingly outsourced offshore, reveals Datamonitor.

  • On The Beat

    2 May 2005

    As the saying goes, loyalty is a two-way street. But in the current business climate this seems to be becoming less apt.

  • Optimism and buoyancy from building societies

    5 May 2005

    Building society bosses see many opportunities for developing the services they offer to their members during 2005.

  • Over a fifth of adults fear cash shortage in retirement

    3 May 2005

    Over a fifth of adults over the age of 55 are concerned about not having enough money when they retire, says research from Norwich Union Equity Release.

  • Packaging takes experience, skill and market knowledge

    2 May 2005

    From Julia Jenkins My response to Wayne Smethurst's 'Letter of the Week' (Mortgage Strategy April 25) is: 'Well said, sir.' I agree with all his comments and thank him for highlighting the need to retain packagers in the non-conforming mortgage market. I can only assume the "ill-informed comments from industry figures" come from the majority of brokers who deal mainly with high street and prime lending. It takes dedication, experience, commitment and good market knowledge ...

  • Platform launches fixed rates across self-cert range

    3 May 2005

    Platform has launched an extensive range of self-certification fixed rates in response to considerable intermediary demand.

  • Platform signs up to Trigold's ENC

    2 May 2005

    Platform is the latest lender to join Trigold's Enhanced Non-Conforming sourcing module.Trigold says the addition of Platform means ENC is now supported by over 80% of the sub-prime market.For brokers sourcing sub-prime mortgages, the system features enhanced fact-find, data verification, Key Facts Illustrations and electronic applications.Trigold says its technical team has developed the system to reflect the detailed underwriting criteria of Platform's products.Guy ...

  • Playing to the gallery

    3 May 2005

    You might not have noticed but there is a general election right around the corner. Unlike previous years, this is going to be a short-sharp campaign to try to keep the voters interest and reverse the declining numbers of people who actually bother to turn out and mark their X in the box.

  • Preferred completes 400m securitisation

    3 May 2005

    Preferred has completed its ninth securitisation, worth 400m.

  • Purely Mortgages teams up with Conti Financial Services

    5 May 2005

    Purely Mortgages and Conti Financial Services are combining their know-how to offer clients advice on both UK and overseas property finance.

  • Rates Ladders

    2 May 2005

    It used to be said the only certain things in life were death and taxes.

  • RBS dismisses merger claims as 'nonsense'

    2 May 2005

    The Royal Bank of Scotland has dismissed as "utter nonsense" claims that it is planning to merge its two subsidiary brands First Active and The One account.A spokesman for RBS branded the claim, which appeared in the press last week, "ridiculous". He says: "It's utter nonsense. There is no story here."First Active has gone from strength to strength since it launched late last year amid a flurry of publicity and has gone on to win several major awards, including Innovator ...

  • Redemption fees will interest the FSA

    2 May 2005

    Mortgage lenders are sailing close to the regulatory wind when it comes to the redemption administration fees they impose on borrowers who want to switch, says Richard Dyson

  • Retail sales fall again in the year to April

    4 May 2005

    The volume of retail sales fell again in the year to April, the most significant year-on-year fall since July 1992, says the CBI's monthly Distributive Trades Survey.

  • Rooftop expands product range

    5 May 2005

    Specialist lender Rooftop Mortgages is expanding its product range with a series of Right to Buy schemes.

  • Sesame still seeks product manager

    2 May 2005

    Sesame is still on the hunt for a replacement for Andy Young, who is quitting his role as mortgage product manager to join The Business Mortgage Company as managing director at the end of this month.In an interview with Mortgage Strategy, Young says he is helping the network select his replacement from around half a dozen internal and external applicants.Young says: "Interviews started a few weeks ago and I'm helping Sesame find the new person. It's a bit strange really. ...

  • Sharing can pay off for home buyers

    2 May 2005

    Shared ownership is no longer for the socially disadvantaged and a wide range of buyers can now snap up properties that represent unbeatable value for money, says Paul Winter

  • Should estates agents be regulated by the financial services authority?

    2 May 2005

    Estate agents, professional bodies, the media and the public all want regulation yet the government says there is no need for it, say our experts

  • Site insurance could open the door to more

    2 May 2005

    If you constantly find it difficult to get a foot in the door, this week's article might just provide an idea that suits your personality.

  • Skipton predicts demise of networks

    5 May 2005

    Skipton chief executive John Goodfellow has predicted the demise of networks saying only the strong will survive the next twelve months, partly because of the cost of professional indemnity insurance.

  • SPML unveils three-year fixed rate option

    4 May 2005

    SPML has unveiled a three-year fixed rate option across all of its product ranges - prime, light adverse and sub-prime.

  • Stability returns to the mortgage market

    6 May 2005

    Mortgage Talk says Nationwide's April house price figures signal a welcome return to stability in the housing market.

  • Standardised proc fees should not be an issue

    2 May 2005

    From Paul Griffin Why is the issue of standardising proc fees even being debated? Standardise the fees paid to brokers for recommending one product over another - surely someone is having a laugh at our expense. Are building societies debating standardising the fees they charge clients for the privilege of borrowing money? How is it that lenders make a charge to our clients simply because they do not take out an insurance product from them? People should be paid for what ...

  • State interference slammed

    2 May 2005

    Speaking at a Mortgage Strategy round table last week, several leading industry figures said they feared that trying to include a certain amount of properties for key workers in upper-end developments was not the solution to providing more affordable housing for first-time buyers.The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister unveiled a five-year plan in January to construct homes for 60,000 and other measures aimed at helping an extra 80,000 people become home owners by 2010.Stephen ...

  • TBMC relaunches 5.18% buy-to-let product

    6 May 2005

    The Business Mortgage Company has relaunched its 5.18% two-year fixed rate buy-to-let product.

  • The Mortgage Mole

    2 May 2005

    Digging the dirt in the mortgage world

  • The Select Partnership pegs valuation fees

    4 May 2005

    The Select Partnership is pegging its valuation fees at 75. This offer commences for all new applications received from April 18 to May 31.Dave Gould, sales director of The Select Partnership, says: "We believe this is not only an opportunity for advisers to offer a huge discount to their clients but it also gives us at The Select Partnership an ideal opportunity to demonstrate our industry acknowledged superior service to a wider introducer market."

  • The Select Partnership reveals 350% growth

    4 May 2005

    The Select Partnership has revealed growth in completion terms of 350% over the last five years.

  • Tide is turning for sourcing systems

    2 May 2005

    C&G's withdrawl of the KFI production facility from its website due to lack of demand shows the superiority of sourcing systems in the selection of mortgage deals, says Richard Griffiths

  • Top journalist joins the Strategy team

    2 May 2005

    Mira Butterworth has joined Mortgage Strategy as features and supplements editor.For the past year Mira was features editor on rival weekly Mortgage Solutions where she was responsible for the magazine's feature content.In her new role, Mira will be responsible for all of Strategy's feature content as well as producing our regular supplements. She will be responsible for commissioning and editing all features from external freelancers and industry contributors.Mira ...

  • Tories maintain strong lead in MS poll

    2 May 2005

    The Conservative Party continues to storm ahead in Mortgage Strategy's online straw poll to gauge where the industry's political loyalties lie.The Tories have 53% of the vote, Labour lags behind on 23%, the Lib Dems come third on 18% and 6% would vote for another party.With the general election this Thursday, you still have a few days to go to www.mortgagestrategy. co.uk and state who you intend to vote for before visiting the polling station for real.Read our Cover ...

  • Venturion's UK lender to distribute through MDC

    2 May 2005

    The lender will distribute exclusively through the Mortgage Distributor's Co-operative which comprises 18 packagers including TMO and Solent Mortgage Services. Venturion says Victoria has been born out of the success of the MDC which in the past 15 months has originated 1.5bn in mortgage applications. Victoria will be run by chief executive Kevin Hillgren, an American who until recently was international treasurer for Credit Suisse First Boston. Hillgren ...

  • Vote Tory for sake of the industry

    2 May 2005

    If you were choosing a partner, whether a spouse or a business partner, you would put trust high on the list of desirable qualities.

  • Warning of tougher times ahead as borrowing slows

    2 May 2005

    The borrowing slowdown comes in the face of record levels of debt, with a decrease in the demand for credit products and high street consumption.Although there is no evidence of a looming crisis, E&Y says consumers are clearly alarmed as borrowing levels rise to over 1trillion.Ernst & Young's Retail Financial Services Monitor, based on research by NOP and the ITEM Club, predicts tough times ahead for all financial institutions exposed to the consumer market.The report ...

  • What worries FSA should worry you

    2 May 2005

    With mortgage disclosure documents and payment protection insurance high on the FSA's list of retail risks, brokers should pay particular attention to these areas, says Ben Stafford

  • Williamson revealed as new BSA chairman

    6 May 2005

    Philip Williamson, chief executive of Nationwide,has been elected chairman of the Building Societies Association for 2005-2006.

  • Your CV should be honest, clear and easy to read

    2 May 2005

    Colin Lloyd is head of operations at Reed Insurance

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