Mortgage Strategy
21 May 2007

  • Goldsmith unveils HIP proposition

    21 May 2007

    Goldsmith Williams last week launched its Home Information Pack proposition GWHip.

  • MPLC launches legal panel in NI

    21 May 2007

    Mortgages PLC has opened up a solicitors panel in Northern Ireland. The panel will include all firmsregistered with the Law Society in Northern Ireland that has two or more partners.

  • Mutuals offer top short-term fixes

    21 May 2007

    Best buy two, three and five-year deals continue to come from smaller societies, research from mform.co.uk reveals. It says that for products in each of the categories above, smaller societies make up at least eight out of the top 10 providers. The only high street name to make the top three in any of the categories is Alliance & Leicester with a five-year discounted variable rate deal.

  • Surveyors trash Mayfair hotel

    21 May 2007

    At a dinner hosted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors recently, rambunctious surveyors are understood to have trashed a five-star Mayfair hotel.

  • 90% Of brokers want to be kept In The Loop

    21 May 2007

    This week, a whopping 90% of Mortgage Strategy Online readers voted that lenders should keep them in the loop regarding clients' accounts.

  • A how-to guide for equity release

    21 May 2007

    Equity release promises to be an increasingly important part of the financial services industry. And if you want a piece of the action, here are six easy steps to follow, says Jayne Almond

  • A timely reminder of market risks

    21 May 2007

    Clive Briault's recent speech was relevant to all sectors of the industry, with sub-prime risks and the Treating Customers Fairly initative of particular importance to brokers, says Bill Warren

  • Abbey slashes rates on no upfront cost range

    21 May 2007

    Abbey Mortgages has reduced the rates on its no upfront costs mortgage range until June 23.

  • Advantage appointment

    21 May 2007

    Advantage has appointed Tracy Stokes as director of originations. Stokes will assume responsibility for performance, delivery and development of Advantage's operations teams. Stokes has over 16 years' experience in financial services.Most recently, she built and managed the operational capabilities of GE Money.

  • Advantage appoints HR director

    23 May 2007

    Advantage has appointed of Andrew Dyos as director of human resources, learning and development. Dyos will oversee HR and resourcing activities, staff development and training at Advantage.

  • Advantage launches free AVM offer

    21 May 2007

    Advantage, a Morgan Stanley Group company, is offering all requests for DIPs submitted through its online mortgage sourcing system adv-elect.co.uk will have access to free instant property valuations.

  • Adviser wins sports car

    21 May 2007

    One lucky adviser picked up a stonking Mazda MX-5, courtesy of edeus at this year's Money Marketing Live.

  • Ambulance chaser warning

    21 May 2007

    The secured loans industry has been warned to stay alert for a wave of speculative compensation claims egged on by so-called 'ambulance chaser' legal firms.

  • AMI backs In The Loop campaign

    21 May 2007

    The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries has back-ed Mortgage Strategy's In The Loop campaign and claims ma-jor lenders are on the verge of opening the floodgates and allowing brokers access to client information.

  • Anna is the new face of Affirmative

    21 May 2007

    Affirmative Anna has been un-veiled as the new face of bridging fin-ance specialist Affirmative.

  • Appointment at the Yorkshire

    21 May 2007

    The Yorkshire has appointed Philip Johnson as a non-executive director. He will join on June 1 following his retirement as a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP where he is head of audit quality and risk management.

  • ARLA becomes part of the NFPP

    25 May 2007

    The Association of Residential Letting Agents has signed a formal agreement to bring it under the banner of the National Federation of Property Professionals along with the National Association of Estate Agents.

  • Astra unveils proc fee offer

    21 May 2007

    Norwich and Peterborough's soon-to-launch subsidiary As-tra Mortgages will offer un-capped 0.5% proc fees for the first month when it launches its buy-to-let range on June 1.

  • AToM offers fees free valuations with Mortgages PLC

    22 May 2007

    All Types of Mortgages has secured three months of fees free valuations for Mortgages PLC's remortgage range.

  • Average London house price tops £385,000

    21 May 2007

    The average asking price of a property in London has reached a record-breaking £385,199, says Rightmove.

  • AXA may consider Friends Prov bid

    21 May 2007

    AXA is reportedly considering launching a rival bid for Friends Provident if JC Flowers launches a takeover offer.

  • B&W relaunches brigding website

    21 May 2007

    Bristol & West Investments has relaunched its website under the new identity Bridgingloans.com.

  • B2L's market share doubles

    21 May 2007

    Prime buy-to-let now makes up one-fifth of financial advisers' business, research from Paragon Mortgages reveals. This is nearly twice last year's figure, when Council of Mortgage Lender statistics showed it made up 11% of the mortgage market.

  • BDM of the Week

    21 May 2007

    We love working with Halifax and a key part of its success has been John Rendell. He takes our suggestions to improve the lender's service and makes them a reality, says Laura Hughes

  • BDS unveils branded commercial desk

    21 May 2007

    BDS Mortgage Group has launched a commercial mortgage desk powered by Commercial Mortgage Solutions.

  • Beware free HIPS from estate agents, warns PPSA

    22 May 2007

    The Private Property Sales Association has warned consumers to beware of free Home Information Pack propositions offered by estate agents.

  • BM extends capped rates

    21 May 2007

    BM Solutions has introduced capped rates to its mainstream and self-cert ranges. The move follows the lender's recent launch of capped rates for its buy-to-let range. The mainstream range includes a twoyear tracker at the Bank of England base rate minus 0.16% capped at 6.09%.

  • BoE could hike base rate despite falling inflation

    21 May 2007

    The Bank of England hinted in its monthly inflation report last week that another interest rate hike could be on the cards despite a dip in inflation.

  • Borrowers able to shop overseas for loans

    22 May 2007

    Borrowers will be able to shop overseas for the best loan deal under plans unveiled by the European Commission yesterday.

  • Borrowers will have to pay to go green

    21 May 2007

    There's no question what colour is in fashion - and it isn't black. Green issues have increasingly come to the fore in the public consciousness. This trend has now reached the point where the environment is a key point of difference between the major political parties.

  • Boulger's blog to guide consumers

    21 May 2007

    Ray Boulger has been dubbed the Alan Titchmarsh of the mortgage world following the launch of his own blog on John Charcol's revamped website.

  • Brits move home up to four times

    21 May 2007

    The average Brit moves home between three and four times in a lifetime, spending a total of £54,000, research from Abbey reveals. Based on the average wage, this is equivalent to 2.3 years' salary. Abbey estimates that in 2006, Brits spent a combined £28bn on moving costs.

  • Brokers slammed as an added cost and untrustworthy

    23 May 2007

    Mortgage brokers have been slammed as “an added cost” and untrustworthy while they are still paid on a commission basis.

  • Brokers warned about foreign lead generators

    21 May 2007

    Andy Cowell, commercial manager at Leadbay, has warned brokers could lose money if they use foreign lead generation firms.He advises brokers not to be fooled by the cheap leads offered.He says: "Make sure the lead generators are UK-based. I would be wary of using any firm that isn't."He adds that brokers must check whether the leads offered by foreign firms are exclusive and warns them not to be conned into paying for leads be-fore receiving them.

  • Brokers warned to shop around for best deals

    21 May 2007

    Commercial mortgage brokers have warned "lazy" residential brok-ers against dealing exclusively with the same lenders.

  • Brown's eco-towns may take a decade to build

    21 May 2007

    Gordon Brown's proposed eco-towns could be 10 years away from becoming reality, say housing experts.

  • Building society April advances £3,772m

    21 May 2007

    Building society gross advances amounted to £3,772m in April 2007, compared to £3,512m in April 2006.

  • BuildStore and TMB launch self-cert self-build mortgage

    24 May 2007

    BuildStore and The Mortgage Business have launched a two-year fixed rate self-cert mortgage for self-builds and rennovations.

  • Calls for schools to teach finance

    21 May 2007

    The Financial Services Practitioner Panel has called on the government to make financial services a staple part of UK schools' national curriculum.

  • Cash for flood-risk homes

    21 May 2007

    The government has un-veiled plans to pump 500,000 into a scheme aimed at protecting vulnerable home owners from flood damage.

  • CEOs confident about year ahead, says BSA

    24 May 2007

    The Building Societies Association has announced that 95% of building society chief executives are confident about the year ahead and are predicting similar levels of lending and saving to that seen in 2006.

  • Check compliance firms yourselves, brokers told

    21 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has told brokers it is up to them to ensure the compliance firms they use are up to scratch.

  • Cheshire appointments

    21 May 2007

    Cheshire has appointed Vanda Murray and Ian Ross as non-executive directors.

  • CII decides not to confer degrees

    21 May 2007

    The Chartered Insurance Institute has decided to maintain its status as a body that awards professional qualifications and not to seek the power to confer degrees. A survey of the CII's membership highlighted that the CII's professional and vocational qualifications are seen to be more relevant than academic degrees. Members felt that perceptions of dumbing down have devalued degrees in the eyes of employers.

  • CML deals Blair a parting blow

    22 May 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has fired a parting shot at Tony Blair’s tax legacy in its fortnightly News and Views bulletin.

  • CML goes green

    25 May 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has become the first financial services trade body to sign the Trade Association Forum's declaration on climate change.

  • CML to simplify sub-prime

    21 May 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has called for the use of a common language in the sub-prime sector to make it easier for consumers to understand.

  • Counting the cost of the base rate rise

    21 May 2007

    Borrowers are counting the cost of the hike in the Bank of England base rate to 5.5% from 5.25% earlier this month. This was only a rise of 0.25% which might not seem that much, but the reality hits home when you put the figures into the context of what's been happening over the past few months.

  • Covert B2L fears must be addressed

    21 May 2007

    A sinister undercurrent hit the news recently when the Council of Mortgage Lenders revealed that the Financial Services Authority has noted that many buy-to-let properties in repossession were financed with residential mortgages.

  • CurriculumVitae

    21 May 2007

    "I was stopped for speeding while taking an elderly couple on a property viewing. They didn't buy the house."

  • Cutting brokers out isn't a good idea

    21 May 2007

    For a number of years, brokers have been arguing with those lenders that offer cheaper mortgages direct to consumers. The lenders have defended their approach, saying the lower prices are a consequence of not having to pay proc fees to brokers.

  • D&D launches insurance deal

    21 May 2007

    D&D Homecare has teamed up with Lloyds TSB Insurance to launch a buildings and contents product for the broker market. Paul Thompson, managing director of D&D, says: "I am delighted that Lloyds TSB Insurance has chosen to work with D&D in this sector."

  • Dear Delia

    21 May 2007

    Dear Delia One of my clients wants to borrow 40,000 against the value of their property which has a market value of 350,000. He wants 15,000 for a conservatory soon and the remainder in about three years' time for a trip around the world.

  • Developing a website is not enough

    21 May 2007

    A good website can boost a broker's turnover but to maximise its effectiveness a proper online marketing campaign is required and this needs careful planning, says Sally Laker

  • Don't be negative - give HIPs a chance

    21 May 2007

    As I mentioned in last week's column, I have been touring the country presenting a series of 19 Home Information Pack roadshows.

  • Don't let clients get into a financial fix

    21 May 2007

    Customers who lock themselves into fixed rate deals now may be opting for high monthly repayments just before they start falling for everyone else, says Mel Dring

  • Dump the data and use the human touch

    21 May 2007

    The weekend before last was a funny old one. Saturday was a depressing day. Gloucester failed to turn up at Twickenham and Leicester ran in seven tries to win rugby union's Zurich Premier League trophy. That's my team for you - a force to be reckoned with all season but destined to choke on the big occasions.

  • Dunfermline ties up with LifeQuote

    21 May 2007

    Dunfermline is linking up with LifeQuote to offer life insurance products from nine suppliers. Dunfermline customers will be able to select from a wide range of insurance packages and its advisers will have access to a bespoke version of LifeQuote's Intelligent Protection software system.

  • Duo reunited at Principality

    21 May 2007

    Principality has appointed Keith Brooks and Langley Davies as non-executive directors.Brooks and Davies will now become colleagues for the second time, after working together more than 20 years' ago at Coopers and Lybrand in Cardiff.Their appointment follows the retirement of two non-executive board members. Gwyn Burr retired due to her commitments as customer director at J Sainsbury and Chris Rowlands has also left.

  • Edeus appoints BDMs

    22 May 2007

    Edeus has expanded its sales team with two new business development managers.

  • Edeus develops packager system

    21 May 2007

    Edeus has developed its system so that satellite packagers can be registered. The selected satellite packagers will have access to edeus' premier packager panel plus support from a packager team and access to a helpline and exclusive bespoke products.

  • Edeus launches exclusives with PMS

    25 May 2007

    Edeus has launched of four new products exclusively to Premier Mortgage Services members.

  • EPCs will not cut carbon emissions, says Spicerhaart

    22 May 2007

    Energy Performance Certificates, as they currently stand, will not improve the energy efficiency of homes, says Spicerhaart.

  • Equity release rates lower than mainstream, says SHIP

    21 May 2007

    Safe Home Income Plans has released updated figures that show average equity release rates continue to be lower than the average SVR for mainstream mortgages. The average rate of interest for the top 10 equity release providers is currently 6.39%.

  • Expo likely to beat last year's figures

    21 May 2007

    The organiser of this year's Mortgage Business Expo in Manchester has hailed the event as a success and predicts its visitor count will beat last year's figures.

  • Firms that want success must go green

    21 May 2007

    Last year, more than 1,000 complaints were received by advisory service Consumer Direct about the mis-selling of solar products designed to cut energy bills.

  • First timers overestimate price of B2L property

    22 May 2007

    A new survey by The Property Investment Market found that 72% of first-time buy-to-let investors cited a lack of funds as the main reason for not going into buy-to-let. It says first time buy-to-let investors are overestimating the pot of money needed, to start their portfolio by focusing on the purchase of just one property with a sizable deposit and mortgage.

  • First-timers need to know their options

    21 May 2007

    The recent base rate rise came as no surprise. This time round, the question was not whether there would be a rate rise but how much it would be - 0.25% or 0.5%. So the next question must surely be whether this increase is the last for a while or if there is one more in the pipeline for autumn, and if this is the case, what will the impact be on the housing market?

  • Fitch Ratings reports increase in AVM use

    22 May 2007

    Fitch Ratings says the use of automated valuation models in mortgage lending is accelerating rapidly in the UK.

  • For better or worse, HIPs are coming

    21 May 2007

    Home Information Packs dominated the headlines last week with more angry words and cutting comments exchanged than an episode of Eastenders.

  • Foxtons sells to BC Partners

    21 May 2007

    Foxtons has been sold to private equity firm BC Partners for £390m, bagging founder Jon Hunt a £370m windfall.Although the firm was looking at floatation, it was decided a sale was more beneficial for the long-term success of the business.Hunt will leave the firm while chief executive Michael Brown is likely to stay on. Foxtons owns mortgage broker Alexander Hall.

  • Friends of the Earth slams planning White Paper

    22 May 2007

    The governments planning White Paper will fast-track massive and damaging developments, increase UK carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce the right of local people to object to schemes that threaten their communities, Friends of the Earth has warned.

  • Friends Prov buys Sesame

    21 May 2007

    Sesame has reassured its members that its buyout by Friends Provident last week won't leave the network giant single-tied with the insurance provider.

  • FSA focusses on B2L fraud

    21 May 2007

    Buy-to-let repossessions are under the Financial Services Authority's spotlight after it found some landlords committing fraud by taking out residential mortgages.

  • FSA is in a hurry, says AFB

    21 May 2007

    The Association of Finance Brokers has hit out at the Financial Services Authority, calling it a "regulator in a hurry".

  • FSA says insurance adverts are improving

    22 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has seen improvements in the accuracy of advertising claims made by home and motor insurance firms since raising its concerns in January.

  • FSA to hunt down TCF laggard firms

    21 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has warned that it plans to hunt down every firm that poses a threat to its Treating Customers Fairly initiative.

  • FSA urged to slash reviews

    21 May 2007

    The Financial Services Practitioner Panel's annual report has urged the Financial Services Authority to cut back its thematic reviews.

  • FSA urges mutuals to monitor distributors

    23 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has urged building societies to monitor their distribution channels.

  • GMAC-RFC launches two-year fix

    22 May 2007

    GMAC-RFC has launched a mainstream two-year fix at 5.25%.

  • GMAC-RFC managers climb Kilimnjaro

    25 May 2007

    Two corporate account managers at GMAC-RFC, David Tickle and Simon Jones, have climbed 5895m to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

  • GMAC-RFC opens MERC up to self-cert sector

    22 May 2007

    GMAC-RFC has opened up its MERC mortgage to the self-cert sector.

  • Gov scraps planning permission on extensions

    21 May 2007

    The government has unveiled major reforms to the UK housing system today, scrapping planning permission on extensions.

  • Hamptons appoints business development director

    24 May 2007

    Hamptons Mortgages has appointed Dean Spendiff as business development director.

  • High interest in flat-pack development

    21 May 2007

    Almost 2,000 people have registered an interest in Ikea's flat-pack BoKloks development in Gateshead, despite the fact that experts are warning they may find it hard to get mortgages for them.

  • HIP delay will hit profits, Network Data admits

    24 May 2007

    Network Data says it remains committed to Home Information Packs but admits that there will be a shortfall in profits for pack provider Hipstar in 2007.

  • HIPs deadline postponed

    22 May 2007

    The government has suffered a humiliating climb down over Home Information Packs and postponed their implementation until August 1.

  • HIPs have become a one-trick pony

    21 May 2007

    They say a week is a long time in politics, so what does that make 10 years? A lifetime? It's certainly a lifetime in my life. Go back 10 years and my household was a different place. Both my children were still twinkles in the eyes of a man I hadn't yet met.

  • HIPs sail on as Tories lose Commons vote

    21 May 2007

    The Conservative Party lost its last-ditch attempt to scupper Home Information Packs after the House of Commons voted against scrapping them last week.

  • HIPs will be a big business opportunity for brokers

    21 May 2007

    From Dominic Toller

  • Home inspector slams "inept government"

    22 May 2007

    One of the few trained home inspector has hit out at the “inept government” for its decision to postpone Home Information Packs until August 1.

  • Home owners can help save the planet

    21 May 2007

    When talking about green mortgages, energy efficiency is key and there are a number of simple measures your clients may wish to consider.

  • Home owners lose £40m in insurance

    21 May 2007

    Home owners could be £40m per year out of pocket by buying insurance from their mortgage providers rather than shopping around, The Post Office claims.

  • House buying system needs updating but in a sensible way

    21 May 2007

    From Maurice Edgington

  • Iain Cornish elected chair of BSA

    24 May 2007

    Iain Cornish, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, has been elected chairman of the Building Societies Association for 2007/08.

  • Income protection sector told to get into shape

    21 May 2007

    The income protection sector has been told to get into shape to take advantage of opportunities emerging from the Competition Commission's investigation into payment protection insurance.

  • Industry responds to latest HIP U-turn

    22 May 2007

    The industry has reacted to the government's U-turn on the implementation of Home Information Packs.

  • IVA numbers likely to rise

    21 May 2007

    The number of individual voluntary arrangements is likely to increase, according to the head of the government's Insolvency Service.

  • Kensington reveals imminent takeover offer

    23 May 2007

    Kensington Group says it is currently in advanced discussions regarding a takeover offer - but says the offer is likely to be below its current value.

  • L&E launches title policy for lenders

    21 May 2007

    London & European has launched a new generation of title insurance product for lenders. It claims it is the only title policy that guarantees to protect the value of lenders' assets in a portfolio, and uses electronic identity verification to speed up the mortgage application process and enable real-time completions.

  • Lancashire appoints operations director

    25 May 2007

    Lancashire Mortgage Corporation has appointed Irene Thomas as operations manager.

  • LAS offers brokers incentives to bolster its ranks

    21 May 2007

    In a bid to swell its ranks, Lifetime Advisory Services is offering incentives worth 1,000 for the first 40 brokers who sign up to the equity release mortgage club.

  • Learn from feedback, good and bad

    21 May 2007

    This week, I plan to write about my favourite word and the thing that should be at the forefront of all our minds.

  • Leeds teams up with Tenet

    22 May 2007

    Leeds Financial Services Overseas, a new subsidiary of Leeds, has teamed up with Tenet under an appointed representative agreement to expand the society’s business model overseas.

  • Legal boost for

    21 May 2007

    B2L in Turkey Legal approval for a new mortgage system in Turkey will unlock big opportunities for buy-to-let investors struggling to buy property in the UK, says Regnum. From next January, mortgages of up to 30 years will be available in Turkey for the first time. Jane Griffiths, managing director of Regnum, says: "In the past five years, Turkey's residential market has performed well thanks to extended financing from major banks. Once this law is passed, we expect a positive impact ...

  • Lenders' service standards should be highlighted on sourcing systems

    21 May 2007

    From Prabjit Singh

  • Lenders team up for AR convention

    21 May 2007

    BDS Mortgage Group has teamed up with GMAC-RFC and Mortgage Express to launch its inaugural app-ointed representative convention, sche-duled for next year.

  • Lifetime leases not caught in FSA net

    21 May 2007

    With April 6 and the regulation of home reversions now a mere memory, we are left with a bad taste in the mouth, not with regard to home reversion regulation per se, but rather what the regulations did not capture.

  • Lifetime mortgage for seriously ill

    21 May 2007

    Partnership has launched the UK's first fully underwritten lifetime mortgage for people suffering from medical complaints. The Partnership Lifetime Mortgage, offered in association with New Life Mortgages, is aimed at clients with reduced life expectancy due to serious illness. Home owners can borrow between £25,000 and £500,000 on a fixed interest rate. No payments are required during the individual's lifetime and interest is rolled up and added to the outstanding balance ...

  • LMS prices HIPs from £249

    21 May 2007

    LMS has set the cost of its Home Information Packs from £249 for brokers and lenders that sign up with it as their pack provider. This price is available for all freehold properties up to £500,000 when the cost of the HIP is paid at the time of commissioning and the seller uses LMS' conveyancing services. Without conveyancing, the HIP price for these properties is £299. A funded HIP with payment deferred for up to 11 months or until the sale is completed will cost £349 ...

  • Location, location

    21 May 2007

    Brokers can help their clients find the best place for their property investments but they must stress that even houses aren't dead certs, says Neal Smith

  • Market Harborough offers free HIPs

    22 May 2007

    Market Harborough is offering sellers free Home Information Packs if they arrange their new mortgage with the society. Philip Dearing, chief executive of the Market Harborough, says: “Our customer services team are happy to explain what a HIP is, and providing the pack for free should help Market Harborough members with the home selling and buying process.

  • Market Watch

    21 May 2007

    Most swaps have continued their relentless increase, although it was good to see one-year money remain un-changed for a week at least.

  • Me & My Car

    21 May 2007

    I always went for BMWs but wanted a change and opted for a Mercedes CLK. I love the colour and it's sporty with all the latest gadgets, but I wish the boot was bigger, says Jim Nash

  • Merger threat to UCB jobs

    21 May 2007

    Nationwide has confirmed that staff at UCB Home Loans will be the first casualties of its merger with Portman.

  • MEX launches fixed rate deals

    21 May 2007

    Mortgage Express has launched a host of fixed rate products in its specialist lending range. These include a two-year self-cert deal at 5.59% with an arrangement fee of 1.5% available up to 90% LTV and a two-year self-cert deal at 5.44% and an arrangement fee of 1.5% available up to 85% LTV.

  • Ministers attack Kelly over HIP delay

    22 May 2007

    Ministers have attacked the government's decision to delay the launch of Home Information Packs to August 1.

  • Money Partners joins AFB

    22 May 2007

    Money Partners has joined the Association of Finance Brokers as an associate member.

  • Moneyfacts appoints CEO

    21 May 2007

    Moneyfacts.co.uk has appointed Paul Pester, managing director of consumer banking at Lloyds TSB, as chief executive officer. Pester was formerly chief executive of Virgin Money.

  • Mortgage lending drops to £28.8bn, says CML

    21 May 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders lending figures show that gross mortgage lending in March saw a seasonal fall to £28.8bn in April.

  • Mortgages PLC appoints marketing director

    21 May 2007

    Mortgages PLC has appointed Ian Whittaker as marketing director.

  • MPC decision to hike base rate was unanimous

    23 May 2007

    The decision to increase interest rates 25 basis points to 5.5% in May was unanimous, the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting show.

  • MPLC names new marketing director

    21 May 2007

    Mortgages PLC has appointed Ian Whittaker as marketing director.Whittaker will join on June 1 from Cheltenham & Gloucester and report to MPLC deputy chief executive Peter Beaumont.

  • MT adds Money Partners to direct-to-lender panel

    21 May 2007

    The Mortgage Times Group has added Money Partners Touch to its direct-to-lender panel.

  • N&P members back mutual status

    23 May 2007

    Nearly 100% of Norwich and Peterborough members believe it is better for the society to remain a mutual.

  • NACFB to set up online directory of advisers

    21 May 2007

    The National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers is to launch a directory website in a bid to steer consumers towards using compliant advisers.

  • Nationwide chief executive pledges broker commitment

    22 May 2007

    Nationwide's chief executive Graham Beale has pledged a commitment to developing stronger relationships with brokers.

  • Nationwide could modify strategy

    21 May 2007

    Nationwide will modify its new brand strategy if it proves unsuccessful, the society's newly-appointed chief executive Graham Beale has revealed in an exclusive interview with Mortgage Strategy.

  • NatWest reveals tiered approach to rental cover

    23 May 2007

    NatWest has introduced a tiered approach to its rental cover that will mean a reduction in the percentage of cover for higher earners.

  • Net mortgage lending up 5bn in April, says BBA

    21 May 2007

    Net mortgage saw a monthly rise of 5bn in April, the latest figures from the British Bankers Association reveal.

  • Our internal regulators serve us well

    21 May 2007

    The secured loans market has never done anything by halves and as we approach the Association of Finance Brokers' first birthday, it is worth looking back at the strides made by the industry in terms of its internal regulation. It's also worth looking at the roles played by the two bodies that now promote the industry and fight its corner in the political and regulatory worlds.

  • Paaleads offers leads for £5

    21 May 2007

    Lead distributor paaleads.com is celebrating its fifth birthday by offering its mortgage leads at £5 for one day only. On May 31, advisers will be able to purchase any lead for £5 across its standard scheme, bidding system and qualified-by-telephone service.

  • Packager offers enhanced B2L fees

    21 May 2007

    Packaging House is offering enhanced proc fees on two of its specialist buy-to-let deals. The first features a 15% builder's gift with no early repayment charges, the second is a 90% LTV no rental income product. Both pay 0.75% in proc fees.

  • Packager Power

    21 May 2007

    Statutory regulation was introduced in the mortgage market in 2004 - how long will it be before we see the Financial Services Authority extending its reach to packagers and estate agents? Should other industry sectors also be covered? Bill Dudgeon is managing director of DB Mortgages

  • Packagers strive to serve brokers and lenders well

    21 May 2007

    From Vic Jannels

  • Paragon Group reports 44.9% increase in B2L advances

    22 May 2007

    The Paragon Group has reported buy-to-let advances are up 44.9% to £1,934.1m.

  • Pensioners' homes rise by over £40bn in 2007

    21 May 2007

    British pensioners have benefited in property price rises of £41.5bn over the first three months of 2007.

  • People matter on the road to success

    21 May 2007

    Recruiting the right staff and then paying attention to their training and career development is the best way to build strong and successful firms, says Leanne Nettleship

  • Personal Touch on acquisition trail

    21 May 2007

    Personal Touch Packaging is rumoured to be looking to buy at least two small to medium-sized packagers to expand its distribution base.

  • Pink in HIP link with conveyancer

    21 May 2007

    Pink Home Loans has teamed up with eConveyancer to offer Home Information Packs under the ehips brand from June 1. Ehips will provide brokers with tailor-made HIPs from £275 plus VAT.

  • Plum discount for SimplyBiz firms

    21 May 2007

    Plum Software is offering its technology at a discount to SimplyBiz member firms. They will get 20% off all technology purchased from the supplier.

  • PMPA seeks replacement operations director

    25 May 2007

    The Professional Mortgage Packagers Alliance says that it is hoping to find a new operations director as soon as possible.

  • PMS attacks new club on the block

    21 May 2007

    Premier Mortgage Service has hit out at Equity Advice after it claimed its new equity release club would undercut PMS.

  • Prestbury adopts MortgageStream

    21 May 2007

    The Prestbury Network is to adopt the MortgageStream case management system. The system facilitates case processing, manages pipelines and monitors client relationships.

  • Prestbury appoints eConveyancer as HIP provider

    21 May 2007

    Prestbury has appointed eConveyancer as its main supplier of Home Information Packs.

  • Principality raises rates

    21 May 2007

    Principality has raised its SVR from 7.19% to 7.44% in line with the 0.25% base rate rise. Discount product rates and all product APRs have been revised as a result of the increase.

  • Promise worries about small firms

    21 May 2007

    Promise Finance has warned that unscrupulous smaller brokers could avoid principles-based regulation. Steve Walker, managing director of Promise, says: "I am concerned that some small outfits might try to avoid regulation because of their size and lack of history with the regulator."

  • Quick bridge to offer AVMs

    23 May 2007

    Quick bridge is to offer Automated Valuation Models, enabling it to complete short-term loans cases within 24 hours.

  • RAMP welcomes two associate members

    22 May 2007

    The Regulatory Association of Mortgage Packagers has welcomed Clear Mortgage Administration and Formula Mortgages as associate members.

  • Rate hike good for B2L but bad for first-timers

    21 May 2007

    The recent base rate hike is good news for buy-to-let and bad news for first-time buyers, says The Mortgage Business Company.

  • Referral tool for Trigold users

    21 May 2007

    Trigold and InterBay have launched a commercial referral tool for Trigold users. It will enable brokers to quickly submit commercial referrals direct to InterBay.

  • RICS says mortgage lending is slowing

    21 May 2007

    Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says mortgage lending is slowing.

  • RICS will not withdraw judicial review

    23 May 2007

    The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says it will not withdraw its application for judicial review unless the government meets it obligations over Energy Performance Certificates.

  • Rob Jupp named Business Man of the Year

    24 May 2007

    Rob Jupp, managing director of Personal Touch Packaging has been named Essex Countywide Business Man of the Year 2007.

  • Rural concerns must be addressed

    21 May 2007

    It's a year since the government-backed Affordable Rural Housing Commission published its recommendations on how rural affordability problems could be addressed. Has anything happened since then to help?

  • S&S launch flexible self-cert

    23 May 2007

    Stroud & Swindon has launched a new flexible self-cert tracker at 0.99% above the base rate. Currently set at a rate of 6.49%, this product is available exclusively through brokers for both house purchase and remortgages with a completion fee of 695 and a maximum loan to value of 85%. The mortgage is available to consumers wishing to purchase a home or to remortgage from their existing mortgage lender. In addition, consumers who use this product to remortgage their home ...

  • Salt sponsors gymnast to attend world event

    21 May 2007

    Salt is sponsoring a young local athlete to attend the World Gymnaestrada, to be held in Austria in July, to represent Great Britain.

  • Signs there could be trouble ahead

    21 May 2007

    The regulator is warning lenders to stress test their portfolios and a number of countries are seeing a fall in house prices. Further base rate rises could create a tipping point here too, says Frank Eve

  • Small firms are on the radar, says FSA

    22 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has dismissed the 'folklore' that small retail firms are not under the regulatory radar.

  • SPML launches affordability calculator

    25 May 2007

    Southern Pacific Mortgage Limited has unveiled a new affordability calculator.

  • SPML to launch affordability calculator

    25 May 2007

    Southern Pacific Mortgage Limited has introduced a new affordability calculator.

  • Sub-prime is a risky business, says FSA

    24 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has warned that entering the sub-prime mortgage market is a risky business.

  • Swift appoints marketing manager

    22 May 2007

    Swift has appointed Ian Glover as marketing manager.

  • Take equity release seriously, says FSA

    21 May 2007

    Brokers thinking about entering the equity release market have been told to stay away unless they are willing to commit significant resources to it.

  • Tax subsidy needed to help FTBs

    21 May 2007

    First-time buyers and key workers' chances of buying homes are fast diminishing and some sort of mortgage subsidy is needed to help them kick-start the bottom end of the market, says Sue Read

  • TBMC celebrates record results

    21 May 2007

    The Business Mortgage Company has announced record results for April, with £220m in applications. The buy-to-let and commercial specialist beat its previous record of £211m, which it achieved last November.

  • The appeal of offsetting is broadening

    21 May 2007

    Historically, offset deals were only seen as a viable option for people with large amounts of savings, but as rates have become more comparable with standard deals their appeal has broadened.

  • The focus should be on outcomes

    21 May 2007

    The Financial Services Authority says it is moving towards principles-based regulation but you wouldn't know that by the way it judges small firms, says Rob Griffiths

  • The Mortgage Mole

    21 May 2007

    Digging the dirt in the mortgage world

  • The pain in Spain will be shortlived

    21 May 2007

    At this time of year, our minds often wander as we think about where we might spend our summer holidays. A week or two away from the stress of work is always something to look forward to, and for many years Spain has been Britain's number one holiday destination.

  • These networks doth protest too much

    21 May 2007

    Shakespeare's saying about those who "doth protest too much" often seems to be true. If I, or any other supporter of directly authorised firms, dares to tell it as it is in the press, the whole network machine cranks up, crying foul or claiming we are idiots.

  • This Week's Dilemma...

    21 May 2007

    After working hard to gain my qualification and make a success of my work so far, my career is finally taking off and there's the chance of a major promotion coming up. But my husband wants us to start a family before it's too late. So do I, but I have seem my friends struggling to juggle demading jobs with raising a small family, leaving them exhaused. I'm not sure I will be able to cope with a career and a baby but I do want both and not have to choose between them. Any advice?

  • Thoughts turn back to variable deals

    21 May 2007

    We may be nearing the top of the present interest rate cycle so variable rates could be the answer for clients who don't mind fluctuations in their payments, says Mark Harris

  • Tipton launches mortgages for FTBs

    22 May 2007

    Tipton & Coseley has launched a range of mortgage products aimed at helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder.

  • Trigold launches secured loans sourcing system

    21 May 2007

    Trigold unveiled its secured lending sourcing system last week, hoping to attract around 25,000 mortgage brokers to the market.

  • Trouble with fees

    21 May 2007

    Proc fees are a contentious issue, with brokers claiming they are not high enough and lenders saying they are reasonable. Clare Bettelley examines the issues.

  • UCB enhances specialist deals

    21 May 2007

    UCB Home Loans has made a number of enhancements to its range of buy-to-let and self-cert products. It has removed the £150,000 restriction on its buy-to-let three-year 5.89% fixed rate exclusive with St James's Place, Thinc, Savills Private Financeand The Money Store.

  • Unity Homeloans scraps HLCs

    21 May 2007

    Unity Homeloans has dropped the higher lending charges on its prime, near-prime and light prime ranges. No HLCs will apply to loans where clients have up to £2,000 in County Court judgements and two out of 12 missed mortgage payments.

  • We must go electronic to tackle fraud

    21 May 2007

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

  • Webline increases protection panel

    22 May 2007

    Webline has increased its panel of income protection providers to 10.

  • Website denies it is being blocked

    21 May 2007

    Moneysupermarket.com has denied rumours that internet giant Google has blocked it for using so-called black hat techniques in its search engine placement coding.

  • We've got to prove the Carlys wrong

    21 May 2007

    If you've been watching Eastenders recently, you might have been as shocked as me at the disgraceful way our industry was portrayed. The storyline went something like this - Max, who is sleeping with his son's ex-girlfriend behind his wife's back, was chatting up his neighbour Carly. Surprisingly, on this occasion he wasn't trying to schmooze her into bed but trying to sell her life assurance.

  • Will Home Information Packs make a difference to consumers and the house buying process?

    21 May 2007

    HIPs have proven to be controversial and have split the market. Our experts are no different, with opinion divided over their value.

  • Would you live in one of Gordon Brown's eco-towns?

    21 May 2007

    Last Week Gordon Brown outlined plans to create five so-called eco-towns. The chancellor, who will take over from Tony Blair as Prime Minister on June 27, wants to build 100,000 carbon neutral homes in the new towns as zero-carobn schools, health centres and transport links.

  • Wriglesworth warns against two-year fixes

    21 May 2007

    Housing economist John Wrigl-esworth has branded brokers who are still selling short-term fixes "a bunch of mis-sellers".

  • Yorkshire names head of marketing

    21 May 2007

    The Yorkshire has appointed Nick Mortimer as head of marketing based at its head office in Bradford. Mortimer joins the Yorkshire from Barclays, where he held a variety of positions including head of strategy and planning for the mid-market business banking division and head of market management for the small business banking division.

Poll

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

Current Issue

Lending Zone
petitions
debate
Define Advice
Advanced search