Mortgage Strategy
20 October 2008

  • Lloyds TSB and HBOS bailout depends on merger

    22 Oct 2008

    Lord Peter Mandelson has warned that the £17bn government cash injection to HBOS and Lloyds TSB is conditional on the merger going ahead.

  • A&L cuts SVR by 0.25%

    20 Oct 2008

    Alliance & Leicester has cut its SVR by 0.25% to 6.94%, with the new rate effective from October 30.

  • A&L pulls all two-year trackers

    22 Oct 2008

    Alliance & Leicester is withdrawing all of its two-year base rate trackers at close of business today.

  • Abbey slashes three-year fixed rates

    22 Oct 2008

    Abbey is cutting its three-year fixed rate deal at 70% LTV from Thursday by 0.15% on the back of an increased demand for three-year fixed rate deals.

  • AFB membership dips 10%

    21 Oct 2008

    The Association of Finance Brokers has seen a mere 10% of its members fall by the wayside in the past year.

  • An industry on the brink

    21 Oct 2008

    At a conference last week a much wiser man than I set out that we face the 3Rs.

  • Applications double for Pink's network

    24 Oct 2008

    Pink Home Loans saw Appointed Representative applications for its network double in September.

  • AR applications double at Pink

    24 Oct 2008

    Pink Home Loans saw Appointed Representative applications for its network double in September.

  • Autoeroticism

    20 Oct 2008

    Football wasn’t enough for little Stu. Oh no, Mole’s new sidekick couldn’t get enough of the high life and managed to blag his way onto the Silverstone Challenge, courtesy of our friends at Abbey.

  • B2L loans to be affected by CCA, says Blemain

    23 Oct 2008

    Blemain Finance is reminding brokers that changes to the Consumer Credit Act will result in a different regulatory status for some buy-to-let loans from October 31.

  • Bailout may not resurrect market

    20 Oct 2008

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has warned that the government bailout may not be enough to resuscitate the housing market.

  • Bank of England Base Rate and Tracker Mortgages

    23 Oct 2008

    The MPC voted unanimously for the half per cent rate cut earlier this month — and rightly so. My only concern is that it's too little too late.

  • Banks and insurers face online threat

    21 Oct 2008

    Online comparison sites are growing in popularity threatening traditional banks and insurers, reveals one consumer survey.

  • Barnsley runs to Yorkshire for rescue

    22 Oct 2008

    Yorkshire has revealed it is to merge with Barnsley after the society was hit hard by the collapse of the Icelandic banks.

  • Base rate cut should have come sooner

    20 Oct 2008

    Six months ago I suggested that the Bank of England needed to take bold steps to cut the base rate and that its fixation on controlling inflation with local interest rate policies was Back then I was commenting on the BoE's quarterly inflation report, which stated that annual consumer price index inflation was likely to rise to around 3.6% by the autumn.

  • Batchelor joins Countrywide

    20 Oct 2008

    Guy Batchelor has returned to the mortgage market by joining estate agency group Countrywide as its corporate business director.

  • BBA warns FSA over recruitment drive proposals

    20 Oct 2008

    The British Bankers' Association believes the Financial Services Authority should review its existing staffing levels before promising to attract additional employees with higher wages.

  • Biggest B2L business swallowed by HBOS

    20 Oct 2008

    Imagine Homes has been taken over by HBOS. Owner Grant Bovey, husband of ex-Blue Peter presenter Anthea Turner, will be kept on as a consultant.

  • Bloodletting on boardroom floor

    20 Oct 2008

    The Royal Bank of Scotland went cap in hand to the government last week for a capital injection of 20bn but promised that competitively priced mortgages would result from the move.

  • Bolton did not work for Kent Reliance

    20 Oct 2008

    Michael Bolton did not work for Kent Reliance as stated in last week's lead story. He transferred to KR from UCB Home Loans but left immediately.

  • Bonuses for bank staff despite bailout

    22 Oct 2008

    Lloyds TSB and Northern Rock are set to pay out millions in staff bonuses despite their bailout by the government.It has been reported that some 4,000 staff at Northern Rock will receive lump sums estimated at £50m, with its chief executive Gary Hoffman receiving £420,000, on top of his £700,000 salary. Eric Daniels, chief executive of Lloyds TSB has also reportedly told staff that they are still in line for their bonuses.

  • Britannia in merger talks with Co-op

    20 Oct 2008

    Co-operative Financial Services and Britannia confirmed last week that they are in talks to combine the two businesses.

  • Britons in need of financial education

    20 Oct 2008

    It's that time of year again when many parents' pride and joy finally fly the nest and start their first terms at university.

  • Brokers angry as Rock pushes secret panel

    20 Oct 2008

    Northern Rock has been accused of biting the hand that feeds it by trying to entice existing customers to remortgage using a secret panel of brokers.

  • Brokers predict fall in remortgage levels

    20 Oct 2008

    Brokers expect a fall of around 0.4% in remortgages this month and next, an IMLA poll reveals

  • Brown agrees UK is heading for recession

    22 Oct 2008

    Prime Minster Gordon Brown has echoed Bank of England governor Mervyn King's dire prediction that the UK is heading for a recession.

  • Bush invites G20 to meeting in Washington

    23 Oct 2008

    President Bush has invited the leaders of the 20 strongest economies to a discussion aimed at tackling the turmoil in world markets.

  • Buyer confidence improving, says Badger Holdings

    20 Oct 2008

    Buyer sentiment appears to be on the increase with some buyers positive over lower house prices, reveals research from Badger Holdings.

  • Can franchising offer a lifeline for small packagers?

    22 Oct 2008

    Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that Septembers mortgage lending total of 17.7bn was 42% down on 2007s total.

  • Cattles sees volumes surge at Welcome

    23 Oct 2008

    Sub-prime lender Cattles, the parent company of Welcome Financial Services, says it is on track to receive its banking license and that its company results are in line with expectations.

  • Cattles' shares rollercoaster

    21 Oct 2008

    Cattles, the parent company of Welcome Financial Services, saw its shares rocket yesterday after fears calmed that it was not going to be granted its banking licence.

  • CETA calls for single premium PPI to be outlawed

    21 Oct 2008

    An insurance network has renewed its calls to outlaw the sale of single premium payment protection Insurance.

  • CHL places 65 staff on consultation

    21 Oct 2008

    CHL Mortgages has placed 40% of its 165 strong workforce on consultation, including its head of sales and marketing Trevor Child.

  • CML publishes repossession guidance

    22 Oct 2008

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has today published industry guidance to lenders to ensure repossession is a last resort.

  • CML publishes repossessions best practice guide

    22 Oct 2008

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has today published industry guidance to lenders to ensure repossession is a last resort.

  • CMLS to expand franchise operation

    20 Oct 2008

    CMLS is set to expand its franchise operation and build relationships with lenders to help smaller packagers.

  • Coventry plays down impact of Icelandic crisis

    20 Oct 2008

    Coventry has revealed that less than 1% of its treasury investments are tied up in failed Icelan- dic bank Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander.

  • Crunch could breed conflict, says Clegg

    20 Oct 2008

    Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says the current financial crisis could end up being an economic 9/11.

  • Curriculumvitae: Clive Kornitzer

    20 Oct 2008

    Clive Kornitzer, chief operating officer, AfIDescribe your current jobMy role focusses on the management of day-to-day activities at Abbey for Intermediaries. I am responsible for overseeing the development of AfI's network, leading its strategic projects as well as structuring the team.

  • dear delia

    20 Oct 2008

    David, the manager of a hotel for 10 years, is keen to buy a 10-bedroom guest house in Blackpool and is looking for a commercial mortgage. The property is on the market for £280,000 and David has a 25% deposit. What are his options in the current market? Delia Says: David has several choices, as Mike Healy of CHL Commercial and Mark Evans of The Spectrum Group point out.

  • Don't appeal against rejected applications, C&G tells brokers

    20 Oct 2008

    Cheltenham & Gloucester is taking a hard line with brokers by telling them not to appeal against appli-cations that have been declined.

  • Elephant unfazed by AIM rejection

    20 Oct 2008

    Gary Miller-Cheevers, chief executive officer of Elephant Loans & Mortgages, is upbeat about the firm's future despite its shares being axed from the Alternative Investment Market last week.

  • Em-'s closure doesn't signal the end of packaging, says Morris

    20 Oct 2008

    Roger Morris, managing director of em-financial, says there is still a future for packagers in the mort-gage market despite being forced to close his firm last week.

  • Euro measures may improve funding, says S&P

    21 Oct 2008

    Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is hopeful that recent European measures to rescue the banking system will ease funding conditions.

  • Evaluate scales up its system

    21 Oct 2008

    Evaluate Technologies has expanded its software system to cope with an unlimited number of enquiries at the same time.

  • Expo to focus on broker survival

    20 Oct 2008

    This year's Mortgage Business Expo London, to be held at Earls Court on November 12 and 13, will focus on helping brokers survive the prevailing market turmoil.

  • Firm defies crunch to help Estonia

    20 Oct 2008

    The EMBA Group has continued to invest overseas despite the credit crunch.

  • Firms needing to dig deep

    20 Oct 2008

    Distributors have got the fight of their lives on their hands if they are to survive the current turmoil in the market.

  • FISA urges OFT to deliver speedy review

    20 Oct 2008

    FISA, the secured loan industry's self-regulatory and compliance body has published its response to the Office of Fair Trading's public consultation on irresponsible lending in UK consumer credit markets.

  • Free legals and valuations may not last, warns mform

    21 Oct 2008

    Free legal and valuation deals could be on the way out in the face of falling house prices and a drop in sales, warns mform.co.uk.

  • Fresh wave of regulatory fines

    20 Oct 2008

    The Financial Services Authority dished out fines totalling almost 100,000 last week after it found two mortgage firms had put vulnerable customers at risk.

  • FSA bans insurance broker for failing to insure clients

    23 Oct 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has banned a Lancashire-based insurance broker for failing to pass on customer premiums to other brokers and insurers.

  • FSA is failing its duty of care to brokers,lenders and clients

    20 Oct 2008

    With the broker and packager markets on their knees and no help forthcoming from the Financial Services Authority or the government, are the authorities intent on extinguishing whole of market advice?

  • FSA tells bosses that pay policies must not encourage risky business

    20 Oct 2008

    The Financial Services Authority has issued guidelines to chief executive officers warning that their compensation schemes must be altered to address risk management concerns.

  • FTBs need access to the bank of mum and dad

    20 Oct 2008

    Where are all the first-time buyers? There were 56,000 of them in Q2 2008, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, but this was almost half the number seen in Q2 2006.

  • GEMHL hikes rates further

    23 Oct 2008

    GE Money Home Lending is increasing its rates further and reducing the LTV to 70% for properties in Northern Ireland from Friday.

  • GEMHL scraps fixed rates

    23 Oct 2008

    GE Money Home Lending is scrapping fixed rates across its First National and igroup ranges and increasing its discount, tracker and reversionary rates from Friday, due to challenging market conditions.

  • GEMHL scraps fixed rates and hikes rates

    23 Oct 2008

    GE Money Home Lending is scrapping fixed rates across its First National and igroup ranges and increasing its discount, tracker and reversionary rates from Friday, due to challenging market conditions. In an email to brokers this morning it says it has had to review its criteria and pricing to ensure it offers sustainable products in a highly volatile market.

  • GEMHL should be penalised for TCF failures

    20 Oct 2008

    Regarding the fine the FSA imposed on GE Money Home Lending last month, does this mean the regulator will impose another fine on GEMHL for its failure to adhere to Treating Customers Fairly principles?

  • Goldman Sachs plays down UK job losses

    24 Oct 2008

    A source close to Goldman Sachs has played down the number of job losses it will shed in the UK as the investment giant looks to cut its global workforce by 10%.

  • Gordon Brown's extraordinary rendition

    20 Oct 2008

    I'm not suggesting that Prime Minister Gordon Brown waterboarded Bank of England governor Mervyn King into agreeing to a synchronised 0.5% cut in central bank rates around the world.

  • Government agrees £13m unsold homes deal

    20 Oct 2008

    The government has agreed a £13m deal to buy unsold homes for affordable housing.

  • Government launches repossession framework

    22 Oct 2008

    The government has unveiled a framework for homeowners facing repossession.

  • Government stumps up cash for unsold homes

    21 Oct 2008

    The government has agreed a £13m deal to buy unsold homes for affordable housing.

  • Gross lending falls to £17.7bn

    20 Oct 2008

    Gross mortgage lending fell to £17.7bn in September, the lowest gross lending figure since January 2005.

  • Hamptons launches customer referral scheme

    20 Oct 2008

    Hamptons International has launched a customer referral scheme for overseas properties. Individual referrals can earn up to 5,000.

  • Happy to miss phone-in's trial by radio

    20 Oct 2008

    As I write, two of my colleagues are appearing on a phone-in about the credit crunch for our local BBC radio station.

  • HBOS and Lloyds will merge by January

    24 Oct 2008

    The merger between Lloyds TSB and HBOS will be a done deal by January, says Lloyds.

  • HBOS withdrawing rates at short notice is a bad sign

    20 Oct 2008

    Recently I was advising a client about remortgaging his buy-to-let properties and had sourced deals via HBOS, in the throes of being taken over by Lloyds TSB.

  • Heads shouldn't roll but bonuses should be stopped

    20 Oct 2008

    So should the heads of our great banking groups roll? The recriminatory backlash against the financial services world seen in the tabloid press would certainly suggest they should - indeed some already have.

  • Iceland secures $2bn loan from IMF

    24 Oct 2008

    The Icelandic government has reached a $2bn loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a comprehensive stabilisation program.

  • In hard times, marketing is king

    20 Oct 2008

    The prevailing turmoil in the mortgage market and the lack of products available to consumers provides brokers with fresh opportunities to attract new business.

  • In the Hot Seat

    22 Oct 2008

    When directors Kevin Hindley, Tim Wheeldon, Paul Ford and Simon Moore left Loanmakers in June this year, everyone suspected it would not be long before the quartet surfaced again in the secured loan market.

  • Is nice

    20 Oct 2008

    Mole finally has some competition. Step forward Mortgage Strategy art director and industry lightweight Stuart ‘Where’s my beer’ Woodward.

  • Julian Wells to head marketing at HML

    20 Oct 2008

    Homeloan Management Limited has appointed Julian Wells as director of marketing in a consultancy capacity to rejig its promotions.

  • Just Retirement gets record applications

    24 Oct 2008

    Just Retirement has revealed its receiving a record number of applications for its first quarter ended September 30.

  • King warns UK is heading towards a recession

    22 Oct 2008

    The governor of the Bank of England has warned that the UK is now heading towards a recession and that the banking sector's "age of innocence" could be gone for good.

  • L&E parent reports sales of £408m

    21 Oct 2008

    April Group, the parent company of London & European Title Insurance Services, has posted sales of €527.2m (£408.06m) for the first nine months of 2008.

  • Leadbay criteria slammed by rival

    20 Oct 2008

    New search criteria on Leadbay's website has sparked a war of words between the lead generation firm and one of its rivals.

  • LeadPoint branches into home insurance leads

    23 Oct 2008

    LeadPoint UK is now offering home insurance from £10 per lead.

  • Lender giveaways are dying off, says Goldsmith Williams

    23 Oct 2008

    Lender give aways could be coming to an end, says conveyancer Goldsmith Williams.

  • Lenders are just looking for any excuse not to lend

    20 Oct 2008

    A few months ago we decided to advise on direct products as well as broker ones.

  • Lib Dems lash out at Labour

    22 Oct 2008

    Liberal Democrats have harsh words for the government following today's announcement of stricter repossession criteria for lenders.

  • Living in interesting times

    20 Oct 2008

    As the Chinese curse puts it, we are living in interesting times. In any typical year you could pick any day in the past five weeks and it would go down as the day the world changed, but in 2008 the turbulence is relentless. Another day, another announcement. Another disaster, another crisis. Another story.

  • Lloyds CEO says HBOS must change ''profoundly''

    20 Oct 2008

    The chief executive of Lloyds TSB has given the clearest indication yet that HBOS’ business model will change dramatically as a result of the merger of the two lenders.

  • Loan Ranger

    21 Oct 2008

    Find out who was the mystery bridger that provided Spanish property developer Metrovacesa the cash to buy the HSBC tower.

  • Loanmakers quartet launch web firm

    20 Oct 2008

    Four former Loanmakers directors have launched Fluent Money, an internet-based secured loan broker.

  • Loanoptions.co.uk owed nearly £380,000 to long list of creditors

    20 Oct 2008

    Loanoptions.co.uk left behind £378,580.38 of liabilities when it relaunched as Loan Options in August.

  • Lost in Wonderland

    21 Oct 2008

    Alice woke up with a start to find herself on the top deck of a London bus.

  • Marketwatch 20/10/2008

    20 Oct 2008

    Swaps had an exceedingly volatile week. They initially fell sharply before increasing.1-year money is down 0.03% at 4.78%2-year money is up 0.05% at 4.81%3-year money is up 0.13% at 4.89%5-year money is up 0.19% at 4.95%

  • Mortgage approvals up in September

    23 Oct 2008

    Mortgage approvals rose from £10.2bn in August to £11.2bn in September but year on year they are still down by a whopping 41.5%, the latest data from the British Bankers' Association reveals.

  • Mortgage lending falls to lowest level in four years

    20 Oct 2008

    Gross mortgage lending fell to £17.7bn in September, the lowest gross lending figure since January 2005.

  • Mortgage Times offers 5.99% B2L exclusive

    23 Oct 2008

    The Mortgage Times Group is launching a buy-to-let exclusive deal funded by Platform that represents a 0.9% drop from its previous deal.

  • Movewithus sees 20% drop in housing market value

    23 Oct 2008

    The UK property market is currently 20% below the value of last year's peak, reveals movewithus.

  • MPC all voted in favour of base rate cut

    22 Oct 2008

    The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously in favour of cutting the base rate by 0.5% last month.

  • Mr Darling goes to Washington and comes up trumps

    20 Oct 2008

    The government has got it right. It has finally seen the scale of the credit crunch and the terrible effect inaction has had.

  • MSN teams up with Towergate

    20 Oct 2008

    Mortgage Support Network has partnered with Towergate Home & Protect to offer members specialist home insurance.

  • narrow escape

    20 Oct 2008

    Mortgage Strategy deputy editor Rob Thickett was also living it up, invited by GMAC-RFC to watch the England versus Kazakhstan game live at Wembley. This got Mole thinking back to an unsettling period a couple of years ago when Thickett decided to grow a beard. Combined with his beloved grey suit he looked the spitting image of Borat.

  • Nationwide hikes tracker product rates

    20 Oct 2008

    Nationwide has increased some of its tracker rates by between 0.06% and 0.3% and has launched a 90% LTV first-time buyer tracker.

  • Network Data to sell head office

    24 Oct 2008

    Richard Griffiths, chief executive of Network Data, has confirmed the company has sold its head office for £5m.

  • New build prices drop again

    22 Oct 2008

    The average price of a new home fell for the fourth consecutive month in September, reports SmartNewHomes.com.

  • Nigel Payne quits BM

    20 Oct 2008

    The packaging industry lost one of its champions last week after Nigel Payne quit as managing director of BM Solutions, ending a 21-year career with HBOS.

  • Norton Finance cuts 91 staff

    23 Oct 2008

    Secured loan master broker Norton Finance is making 91 people redundant in its second wave of job cuts.

  • Now ING needs government support

    20 Oct 2008

    Less than 2 weeks ago our government transferred the £2.5bn worth of retail deposits held by 160,000 UK customers in Icelandic bank Kaupthing Edge to ING.

  • OFT calls for rent-back regulation

    20 Oct 2008

    Industry pundits have welcomed the Office of Fair Trading's call for sale-and-rent-back to come under the jurisdiction of the Financial Services Authority.

  • Online GI toolkit to beat crunch

    20 Oct 2008

    Paymentshield has launched an online toolkit to help brokers in-crease their income from general insurance products.

  • Oryen goes into voluntary liquidation

    23 Oct 2008

    Oryen Mortgage Packagers has become the latest victim of the credit crunch after the firm placed itself into voluntary liquidation.

  • Paradigm teams up with Promise Solutions

    21 Oct 2008

    Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage partnership proposition, has chosen Promise Solutions as its preferred partner for secured lending.

  • Payplan sets up mortgage arrears helpline

    24 Oct 2008

    Debt advice firm Payplan has set up a mortgage arrears helpline to provide support for borrowers facing the threat of repossession.

  • Prestbury's transfer to PTFS is a done deal

    20 Oct 2008

    Former Prestbury appointed representatives will be writing business under their new network Personal Touch Financial Services from tomorrow.

  • Promise teams up with Paradigm

    20 Oct 2008

    Promise Solutions is linking up with Paradigm Mortgage Services as its preferred partner for secured lending.

  • Pru comes out on top for lifetime mortgages

    21 Oct 2008

    Prudential has emerged as the market leader in lifetime mortgage completions with over 25% of the market share.

  • Public in the dark over shared equity schemes

    20 Oct 2008

    The Liberal Democrats have attacked the government over the lack of awareness of its shared equity schemes.

  • Rays of hope

    20 Oct 2008

    They say that every cloud has a silver lining but that's not true. For the last six months at least there have been few silver linings to be found. Those big black clouds got bigger and bigger and rays of hope seemed more elusive.

  • RBSIP launches online remortgage product

    20 Oct 2008

    RBSIP is offering an online-only two-year fixed rate remortgage deal at 6.29% up to 75% LTV with a 999 arrangement fee.

  • Recession on the way

    24 Oct 2008

    The preliminary estimates of UK economic growth in the third quarter of 2008 by the Office for National Statistics show the economy is heading for recession.

  • Rental demand soars by 50%

    22 Oct 2008

    Rental demand has rocketed up 50% over the past year, reveals research from lettings agent Your Move.

  • Repossession better than rent-back deals

    20 Oct 2008

    A law firm says that borrowers struggling to repay their mortgages would be better off getting re-possessed than selling their houses to sale-and-rent-back landlords.

  • Rightmove to scrap 20% of workforce

    23 Oct 2008

    Rightmove is making approximately 20% of its workforce redundant in light of the scale of the housing downturn.

  • Rock cuts SVR to 7.34% and lowers loyalty rate

    20 Oct 2008

    Northern Rock is reducing its SVR by 0.15% to 7.34% and cutting its loyalty rate to 7.09%. The rates apply from November 1.

  • Salans buys case management system

    20 Oct 2008

    Salans has bought the Eclipse Proclaim case management system to deal with collections and repossession work.

  • Scottish MP fights Lloyds/HBOS merger

    21 Oct 2008

    A member of the Scottish National Party has written to Lloyds TSB attacking the proposed merger with HBOS.

  • Scottish MP hits out at HBOS merger

    21 Oct 2008

    A member of the Scottish National Party has written to Lloyds TSB attacking the proposed merger with HBOS.

  • Secured loans more a hindrance than a help for borrowers

    20 Oct 2008

    I am an independent mortgage adviser trying to survive in the current climate.

  • Senior staff go as Money Partners sheds more jobs

    20 Oct 2008

    Less than a year after investment giant Goldman Sachs bought Money Partners, the lender has shed four of its senior management team and is operating on a skeleton staff of 20.

  • Sesame joins forces with 1st - The Exchange

    22 Oct 2008

    Sesame has embarked on a five-year partnership with 1st – The Exchange that will see Exweb become the portal of choice for Sesame members.

  • Sesame teams up with 1st - The Exchange

    22 Oct 2008

    Sesame has partnered with 1st – The Exchange to secure the technology company’s Exweb services for its members.

  • SHIP shows it pays to keep care at home

    20 Oct 2008

    Figures from SHIP reveal that home care is over £25,000 cheaper a year than retirement homes.

  • Skipton raises rental income requirements with zero notice

    22 Oct 2008

    Skipton has boosted its required rental income by 15% on buy-to-let mortgages immediately.

  • stadium supernova

    20 Oct 2008

    Mole was treated to the Mancunian tones of Oasis last week, courtesy of Skipton.

  • Stand-off could stagnate market

    20 Oct 2008

    A leading economist has warned that a stand-off between buyers and sellers is dragging down the housing market.

  • Still no light at the end of the tunnel says E&Y

    20 Oct 2008

    A dire forecast from the Ernst & Young Item Club says the UK is already in recession and warns that it is too early to think ahead to recovery.

  • Surge in demand for drawdown

    20 Oct 2008

    Key Retirement Solutions has seen demand for drawdown plans rise 9% in Q3 2008 compared with the same period last year.

  • Tales of my surveying and other animals

    20 Oct 2008

    Although I love animals and find many of them irresistible when grilled and served with a lightly tossed salad, I have to say that when surveying a property they are a nuisance.

  • TCF deadline only 10 weeks away, warns MortgageStream

    22 Oct 2008

    MortgageStream is warning mortgage firms that ‘judgement day’ for implementing Treating Customers Fairly is now less than ten weeks away and the consequences for failure to comply are devastating.

  • The Quiet Storm

    20 Oct 2008

    There was an eerie orange glow in the sky as I got up early thismorning. It seemed quiet, almost too quiet.

  • Time for the consumer bailout, says Which?

    22 Oct 2008

    Consumer group Which? is calling on the government and the banks to start bailing out consumers as it launches a banking reform campaign.

  • Time to let the entrepreneurial side shine through

    21 Oct 2008

    The entrepreneurial nature of the secured loan market has taken a back seat these past few months as everyone focuses on survival and puts any ambitious plans to one side.

  • Time to prepare for Section 166 Reports

    20 Oct 2008

    Have you ever heard of a Section 166 Report? If not, the first things that come to mind are - what are Section 166 Reports, why have they come to prominence now and should I be concerned?

  • Time to regulate self-appointed experts

    20 Oct 2008

    The rise of self-proclaimed financial experts on television and radio is damaging our industry. Sitting on the periphery of regulation, they are in the powerful position of being able to offer generic advice without having to validate or justify it. Consumers take what they say as gospel with little or no protection.

  • Tiuta revamps website

    20 Oct 2008

    Bridging loan lender Tiuta has relaunched its website in a bid to make it more vibrant with a modern new look.

  • Today is the last day to bid for edeus

    24 Oct 2008

    Mortgage Strategy understands that today is the last day to put in a bid for edeus to administrators KPMG.

  • Tories attack government support for small firms

    21 Oct 2008

    The Conservative party has accused the government of rehashing existing support for small businesses and dressing them up as new measures.

  • Treasury calls Darling, King and Turner to the stand

    22 Oct 2008

    The Treasury Select Committee has called financial chancellor Alistair Darling, Lord Adair Turner and Mervyn King to give evidence on the banking crisis.

  • Trench Warfare

    21 Oct 2008

    Last night I got home and slumped on a chair stating, "Every day is like putting on a helmet and crawling through the trenches, dodging the shrapnel and digging in". Then I berated myself. Actually, it's not. Get a grip.

  • UCB Home Loans closes its doors

    20 Oct 2008

    Nationwide has confirmed that UCB Home Loans has closed its doors.

  • UK looks to become a global provider of Islamic finance

    21 Oct 2008

    A government organisation is looking to educate financial institutions in a bid to help the UK become a global provider of Islamic finance.

  • UK plunges towards recession

    24 Oct 2008

    The preliminary estimates of UK economic growth in the third quarter of 2008 by the Office for National Statistics show the economy is heading for recession.

  • US reluctantly follows UK's lead

    20 Oct 2008

    US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson says spending $250bn of government money to part-nationalise domestic banks is objectionable but necessary.

  • Valuation trend will cut prices and sap client confidence

    20 Oct 2008

    I recently had the pleasure of submitting a remortgage application on behalf of a client who resides in a detached property in a Staffordshire village.

  • Vision offers free Leadbay leads to brokers

    21 Oct 2008

    Vision Network is offering its brokers £50 worth of free Leadbay leads.

  • Which? is right and equity release should be last resort

    20 Oct 2008

    I refer to your news story headlined 'Industry slams Which? ER guide' (Mortgage Strategy September 29).

  • White Label revamps products again

    22 Oct 2008

    Secured loan lender White Label Loans will reduce its LTVs to 85% on its Label 1 and 2 deals and 80% on its Label 3 and 4 deals from November 1.

  • Woolwich drops B2L LTVs

    24 Oct 2008

    Woolwich has dropped LTVs on its buy-to-let portfolio tracker to 50% from tomorrow.

  • Yorkshire and Barnsley to merge

    22 Oct 2008

    Yorkshire has revealed it is to merge with Barnsley after the society was hit hard by the collapse of the Icelandic banks.

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