Mortgage Strategy
29 October 2007

  • MortgageStream update at expo

    29 Oct 2007

    MortgageStream is to launch the latest version of its system at the Mortgage Business Expo in London on November 15.

  • Promise for all

    1 Nov 2007

    The Mortgage Club will make online sourcing system PromiseQuote available to all itsnetwork members. Nick Baxter, director of Mortgage Promotions, says: "Promise is head and shoulders above other secured loan sourcing systems."

  • Mortgage Promotions: Take care with your destiny

    1 Nov 2007

  • Packager Update highlighted our determination to thrive

    1 Nov 2007

    I want to emphasize what an overwhelming success I thought the recent Packager Update was in Gleneagles. The event was extremely well organized, in a fantastic venue and with an impressive attendance of both packagers and lenders.

  • 100% Cover now up to 35,000

    1 Nov 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has increased the limit of Financial Service Compensation Scheme cover for deposits to 100% of the first 35,000 of each depositor's claim from October 1.

  • 200% Rise in enquiries

    1 Nov 2007

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has reported a 200% rise in the level of new enquiries in October 2007 from the same month last year. It says the rise in enquiries, to almost 500 in October, is evidence of the increasingly vital role packagers play in the mortgage broker market.

  • 25% Of lenders will fall by wayside

    29 Oct 2007

    Tony Ward, chief executive officer of Home Funding, has predicted up to 25% of lenders could "fall by the wayside" as a result of the credit crunch. The man behind Basinghall Finance says he doesn't expect the market to recover from the current turmoil until early next year.

  • 3XD reports high intermediary hits on general insurance site

    29 Oct 2007

    3XD has reported over 13,000 website hits by brokers on its general insurance website.

  • 5D clears up its act for packagers

    1 Nov 2007

    Specialist commercial mortgage lender, 5D Finance says it has completed a far-reaching programme of document simplification following complaints from packagers.

  • 5D cuts down the paperwork

    29 Oct 2007

    5D Finance has simplified its documentation for packagers and solicitors. Application forms have been cut from 24 to eight pages, while valuation forms have been slashed from 40 pages to seven.

  • 65 staff redundant at Kensington

    1 Nov 2007

    Kensington is to make 65 redundancies it has just announced.

  • A third of pensioners poorer since 2002

    30 Oct 2007

    Home & Capital figures reveal 31% of people between 51 and 90 have seen their finances significantly worsen over the past five years.

  • Abacus chooses Goldsmith Williams as exclusive conveyancing partner

    30 Oct 2007

    Abacus Permanent, the branded lender division of Moneysupermarket.com, has chosen Goldsmith Williams as its exclusive conveyancing partner.

  • Abbey adds to fix and flex range

    31 Oct 2007

    Abbey has added a new ‘Fix and Flex’ range of mortgages to its portfolio.

  • Abbey defends fee on large loan mortgage

    31 Oct 2007

    Abbey has defended the £9,999 fee on its large loan mortgage, with a 5.59% rate.

  • Accuma sees pre-tax profits halved to 888,000

    1 Nov 2007

    Accuma, the parent company of LoanLine, has seen a fall in pre-tax profits for 2006/07 following troubles in the Individual Voluntary Arrangement market.

  • Affirmative action

    1 Nov 2007

    Bridging lender Affirmative has appointed Anish Nathwani as BDM for the South and South-East. He will help develop business as the Affirmative network spreads. Previously at GE Money Home Lending, Nathwani built relationships with more than 80 brokers and packagers across the UK.

  • Affirmative advises caution for flood plains

    29 Oct 2007

    Bridging firm Affirmative is warning that a usual buildings insurance policy is not always sufficient when it comes to flood plain areas.

  • Agreed prices rose in October, says Your Move

    29 Oct 2007

    Agreed house prices continued to rise in October, analysis by Your Move has shown.

  • Amber reports record month for applications

    1 Nov 2007

    Amber Homeloans says October was a record month with around 20% more applications being received than during any other month in the company’s history.

  • AMI criticised for lack of support

    29 Oct 2007

    Edeus chief executive Michael Bolton has slammed the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries for not supporting lenders enough during the credit crunch. Bolton questions why AMI director-general Chris Cummings has not vocally supported the market or discussed current market conditions. Bolton also refuses to rule out edeus being snapped up by a buyer. But he says: "The last thing I want is to go back to being a corporate Noddy."

  • Applegarth resigns from Persimmon

    29 Oct 2007

    Adam Applegarth, chief executive of Northern Rock, has resigned as a non-executive director of The Persimmon Group with immediate effect.

  • Appointments at Mortgage Centre

    29 Oct 2007

    Mortgage Centre IFA has made new appointments in its commercial and residential divisions. Mark Hall joins as commercial mortgage consultant, Aaron McGinley is BDM for London and the home counties, and Tony Rangi is mortgage consultant in the residential division. Paul Agnew has also joined the firm to manage its customer retention programme.

  • Are lenders being Bushed?

    1 Nov 2007

    Philip Tebbatt is accusing the Financial Services Authority of jumping into the George W Bush camp with its 'road map' of the way ahead in the mortgage market, but will navigating TCF be as tricky as finding a solution in the Middle East??

  • Arrears is becoming a whole new ball game for lenders

    1 Nov 2007

    Mortgage analyst Keith Butler was fascinated by the comments made by Paul Walsh in last month's magazine, when he pointed out how many of the issues now facing lenders in terms of arrears and possessions are new because so much has changed since the early 1990s

  • ASA ban on 'misleading' ads

    1 Nov 2007

    The Advertising Standards Authority has taken a hard line on secured loan adverts from lenders First Plus and Picture Financial.

  • Association of Mortgage Packagers and Distributors: Packagers take an upbeat view

    1 Nov 2007

    The good times in the mortgage market might be over but the responses from delegates at the recent packager conference in Gleneagles make it clear that, far from throwing in the towel, they are looking forward to the future with pragmatic optimism

  • Association of Mortgage Intermediaries: Intermediaries remain positive

    1 Nov 2007

    Despite all the bad news about the current mortgage market that we are being bombarded with, the AMI's October intermediary survey reveals that while intermediaries do see some threats to their operations, 64% expect business to increase over the next 12 months

  • Assurant takes on two BDMs

    29 Oct 2007

    Assurant Solutions has added two people to its business development team. Angie Burgess, formerly of Cardiff Pinnacle, and Tony Parkes, formerly of AIG Europe, have been made BDMs with responsibility for identifying new clients and opportunities in the market.

  • ATOM appointment

    1 Nov 2007

    All Types of Mortgages has appointed Claire McCaffery-Clarke as its new marketing manager. McCaffery-Clarke joins AToM from KWS, an independent financial adviser, where she was responsible for all marketing, overseeing the corporate website, production, sales tracking and management. Prior to this, she worked for Abbey, advising across all mortgage, pension, protection and investment products. She will report to Dale Jannels, sales & marketing director.

  • AToM guarantees proc fees

    30 Oct 2007

    All Types of Mortgages has set aside a monetary sum sufficient to guarantee any lender proc fees - even if a lender collapses. The packager says it has done this in response to some brokers’ fears that further lenders may withdraw from the market and not be able to honour their commitment to pay proc fees. Richard Hearn, managing director of AToM says:“Brokers are understandably nervous at the moment about the possibility of further lender withdrawals and that the market ...

  • AToM reveals 9% fall in completions

    29 Oct 2007

    All Types of Mortgages has revealed a 9% drop in completions in the last three months.

  • B2L deals from BM Solutions

    29 Oct 2007

    BM Solutions has unveiled a refreshed range of buy-to-let products.

  • Bad debt is a problem for all

    1 Nov 2007

    Whatever one feels about the quality of the evidence presented by Declan Lawn in the Panorama programme of October 8 investigating the so-called sub-prime crisis, one can't help feeling he was right. To borrow loosely from a Sun headline following the prime minister's recent decision to pull back from a general election, the brown stuff sticks.

  • Beware coming retail slowdown

    1 Nov 2007

    If we're on the verge of a consumer and housing market slowdown, says Roger Bootle, the retail sector is much less well positioned to withstand a downturn than it was a couple of years ago

  • BIM appoints director of lending for Scotland

    31 Oct 2007

    Bank of Ireland Mortgages in Scotland has appointed Norrie Henderson as its new director of lending for Edinburgh.

  • Bloody but unbowed at Gleneagles

    29 Oct 2007

    There was an optimistic, feel-good factor to the Mortgage Strategy Packager Summit that took place in Nice back in January.

  • Bolton slams FSA warning

    29 Oct 2007

    Michael Bolton, chief executive of edeus, has hit out at the Financial Services Authority for warning mutuals against buying loan books.

  • BoS appoints new national sales manager

    30 Oct 2007

    Bank of Scotland Mortgages has appointed Keely Mitchell as national account manager.

  • Brain club

    1 Nov 2007

    Mortgage Brain has launched a new service called Affinity Club, which it says will offer intermediaries the chance to earn extra commission through the sale of financial products linked to mortgages. The club is an amalgamation of Mortgage Brain's list of third-party suppliers, which can all be accessed through a new dedicated website, www.affinityclub.co.uk.

  • Bridging auction finance gap

    1 Nov 2007

    The growing trend of properties for sale through auctions has opened up opportunities for brokers in helping buyers find the finance for such immediate purchase transactions. And this is one area where bridging loans could prove an ideal solution

  • Brighton area prices take off

    29 Oct 2007

    The average house price around Brighton has soared by 16% in 12 months as migration from London to commutable hotspots continues, says Hamptons International.

  • Broker barred for RMAR failure

    29 Oct 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has cancelled the permission of a Leeds-based broker after he failed to submit his retail mediation activities return. Justin Denis James Earley, trading as Independent Mortgage Service, was ousted by the regulator for failing to submit his RMAR for the period ended December 31 2006.

  • Brokers can track proc fees online

    29 Oct 2007

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has made changes to its online system that enable brokers submitting cases to view proc fees that are due to them online. Fees will also be paid on completion.

  • Brokers face rising costs 'time bomb'

    1 Nov 2007

    A letter sent to Loan Distributor has sparked fears that the increasing cost of compliance coupled with decreasing margins is acting as a ticking time bomb for brokers.

  • Brokers must make tough calls to tackle adverse malpractice

    29 Oct 2007

    Christine Toner's cover story on the Panorama exposé of the sub-prime market (Mortgage Strategy October 15) is right to point out that improvements must be made to brokers' and lenders' processes.

  • Brokers must not take eye off TCF ball

    29 Oct 2007

    I appreciate that with the credit crunch causing problems for the mortgage market, brokers have a lot on their minds. But while worries about the crisis and its impact on business are justified, brokers must not lose sight of the day-to-day issues.

  • Building societies offer 70% of top mortgages, says Moneyfacts.co.uk

    30 Oct 2007

    Building societies offer 70% of the top 250 mortgages available today, research from Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals.

  • Buyers blame the usual suspects

    1 Nov 2007

    New research by propertyfinder.com shows that homebuyers put property investors and immigrants at the top of the league of villains collectively blamed by almost a third (31%) of homebuyers for high UK house prices.

  • Buyers opting for 100% mortgages double

    29 Oct 2007

    The number of buyers who took out 100% LTV mortgages in this year’s third quarter has more than doubled on the same period last year, says the Mortgage Advice Bureau.

  • Buy-to-let feels the crunch

    1 Nov 2007

    While on the surface the commercial market appears to have have escaped the repercussions of the credit crunch in the US, fears over interest rates and a slowdown in some commercial sectors have raised concerns commercial repossessions may be on the rise.

  • Buy-to-let help team

    1 Nov 2007

    Optoma has launched a specialist buy-to-let placing team to cope with increased demand in the sector. It says the team will specialise in helping mortgage brokers manage clients with increasingly larger buy-to-let portfolios. The team of three experienced advisers is headed by Lawrence Creane.

  • C&G manager added insult to qualifications snub injury

    29 Oct 2007

    I am a tax consultant and recently completed a Cheltenham & Gloucester accountant's reference for a client who had applied for a buy-to-let deal through a broker.

  • Call for open financial books

    1 Nov 2007

    TFC Homeloans has called for packagers to publicly disclose their financial results in the wake of the liquidity crisis.

  • Calls for sale-and-rent-back regulation

    29 Oct 2007

    EastEnders' landlady Peggy Mitchell told a sale-and-rent-back salesman to sling his hook in the soap last week, but several groups are calling for the sector to be regulated to protect less feisty consumers.

  • Cathy Wright

    1 Nov 2007

    Name: Cathy Wright

  • Cerberus wins GMAC backing for NR bid, reports claim

    29 Oct 2007

    American private equity firm Cerberus is reported to have secured backing from GMAC in its bid for Northern Rock.

  • Chancellor could make CGT U-turn

    31 Oct 2007

    Chancellor Alistair Darling may make a dramatic U-turn on Capital Gains Tax by softening proposed changes with a tax relief.

  • Chaseblue Loans launches

    29 Oct 2007

    Chaseblue Loans, the new secured loan, commercial and bridging venture by Chase UK, has launched to the market.

  • Check lenders' liquidity - not just solvency, Darling tells regulators

    1 Nov 2007

    Chancellor Alistair Darling has called for regulators to look more closely at the liquidity of financial institutions, not just their solvency, in light of the Northern Rock crisis.

  • Chinks of light for top brokers

    1 Nov 2007

    Now that the market has contracted and lenders are tightening their deal criteria and rates they charge, brokers with the knowledge will come to the fore, as it requires real skill and experience to put a deal together that's attractive to a lender while securing the best terms for a client

  • Client ID checking added to Toolbox

    29 Oct 2007

    Personal Touch Financial Services has added a client identity checking facility to its Toolbox system.The feature allows brokers to verify their clients' identity and is integrated into the sales workflow system to alert them if a client hasn't undergone a check in the past year. It checks the validity of client documentation from the issuing authority.

  • Club shows promise

    1 Nov 2007

    Mortgage Promotions has signed up to Promise Solutions' secured loan sourcing and underwriting system. The mortgage club will make online sourcing system PromiseQuote available to all its network members.

  • CML "overly cautious", says Assetz

    30 Oct 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders forecast for house price growth represents “an overly cautious” approach, says Assetz.

  • CML and Hometrack predict there will be little to celebrate in 2008

    1 Nov 2007

    We are facing our most challenging period since Labour came to power and the government should make it a policy priority to overhaul the system of state support for homeowners, which has lagged pitifully behind the times.

  • CML backs call for action on sale-and-rent-back

    1 Nov 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has added its voice to calls for the regulation of the sale-and-rent-back sector.

  • CML forecasts gross lending of £340bn in 2008

    29 Oct 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has forecast gross lending of £360bn in 2007 and £340bn in 2008.

  • CML has buoyant forecast for 2008 despite market crisis

    1 Nov 2007

    Next year will see house price inflation remain positive, property transactions remain above one million and interest rates fall by 75 basis points, with gross lending still set to exceed 2005 levels, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has claimed.

  • CML member numbers down

    29 Oct 2007

    Mark Blackwell, outgoing intermediary sales director at Cheltenham & Gloucester, says the number of lenders registered with the Council of Mortgage Lenders has fallen from 163 to 160 in the past two months. Blackwell predicts aggressive lending by balance sheet lenders, especially in the buy-to-let market.

  • CML reveals Expo seminar details

    29 Oct 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has unveiled its seminar programme for the Mortgage Business Expo London. CML director-general Michael Coogan will talk about topics such as self-cert, sub-prime and overseas mortgages.

  • CML trys to talk up housing market in 2008

    29 Oct 2007

    Next year will see house price inflation remain positive, property transactions still above one million, interest rates set to fall by 75 basis points and gross lending still set to exceed 2005 levels, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has claimed. But such positive forecasts have come with the caveat that: in an environment where much of the recent comment and analysis has focused on the credit crunch and its negative impacts..publishing forecasts is an even more uncertain process ...

  • CML's Coogan hits out at chancellor

    29 Oct 2007

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has slammed the chancellor’s call for a return to “good old fashioned banking”.

  • Commercial First does 10,000th deal

    29 Oct 2007

    Commercial First has completed its 10,000th mortgage loan - the refinance of a retail premises in the West Midlands. The transaction raised capital for property expansion, with the loan repayments spread over a 30-year term. It was introduced by Liberty Mortgages of Smethwick.

  • Commission route will prevail

    1 Nov 2007

    While a fees-based mortgage advice service offers many benefits to clients and firms, the commission route will remain a favourite with the majority. This is because clients do not want to pay for advice, especially at a time that can be costly for potential homebuyers

  • Complete launches Advantage exclusives

    30 Oct 2007

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has released exclusive rates on two of Advantage Home Loans’ sub-prime products.

  • Complete names award winners

    1 Nov 2007

    Complete Mortgage and Loan Services has named the winners of its inaugural annual awards.

  • Completions down 9% at ATOM

    29 Oct 2007

    All Types of Mortgages has reported completions have dropped by just under 9% in the last three months.

  • Completions rise

    1 Nov 2007

    Exclusive Connections says it passed 2bn worth of completions at the end of September. In 2006 it took a full year to complete the same number of cases, but the packager association says business volumes grew rapidly following the appointment of 20 new members to its lending panel.

  • CONCERT DOUBT

    1 Nov 2007

    Rumours are rife that Concert Mortgages has been canned following Abbey's withdrawal from the joint venture with Merrill Lynch. As well as secured loans, the lender was believed to have been going to act as a filter for declines from Abbey and offer its own second-charge products.

  • Connells acquires Hockleys from N&P

    29 Oct 2007

    Connells has acquired surveying company Hockleys from Norwich & Peterborough.

  • Connells buys N&P surveyor

    1 Nov 2007

    Connells, the country's second largest estate agency and a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society, has acquired surveying company Hockleys from Norwich & Peterborough for an undisclosed sum.

  • Conti lanuches Cape Verde mortgages

    1 Nov 2007

    Conti Financial Services has launched of a new range of mortgage products for people seeking to buy property in Cape Verde, a group of islands off the west coast of Africa.

  • Contracting market can benefit brokers

    29 Oct 2007

    Within an hour of each other, I received emails from two lenders - one revealing it is reducing LTV ratios on its full range of products and the other giving details of a reduction in its light adverse proc fees.

  • Control risk and build profits through data integrity audits

    1 Nov 2007

    Recent events in the US sub-prime market serve to remind us of the importance of having good data at our disposal. It's not just there to meet regulatory requirements, says Graham Llewellyn-Berry, business consultant at Target Group

  • Correction, not catastrophe, on cards

    29 Oct 2007

    Property prices in Britain are overvalued to the tune of 40%, according to the International Monetary Fund, and we're due a slump more severe than that experienced by the US. And the IMF is accredited as the world's leading economic institution? Not for much longer if it continues making statements so out of touch with reality when it comes to the UK housing market.

  • Cost-cutting and job losses will continue

    29 Oct 2007

    FURTHER cost-cutting and staff redundancies at sub-prime lenders are inevitable.

  • Could do better, says FSA report on PPI sales practices

    1 Nov 2007

    There has been some improvement in the selling of payment protection insurance policies, but there is still a long way to go, according the latest research by the FSA

  • Countrywide posts worst earnings

    29 Oct 2007

    Countrywide Financial Corporation posted a $1.2bn loss in Q3 - the worst earnings report in its 38-year history. But the US' largest lender predicted a return to profitability in Q4 2008. It has moved $12bn of sub-prime loans and securities onto the balance sheet of its bank into a 'held for investments' account.

  • Cover

    29 Oct 2007

    There are striking contrasts between the attitudes of buy-to-let landlords across Europe.

  • Covering the buy now, pay later bill

    29 Oct 2007

    If you want to know why Britons need protection now more than ever, take a look at the changes affecting our society. This month saw new headlines indicating that we're ramping up our financial and health risks.

  • Cracking the code barrier

    1 Nov 2007

    Most people in the bridging market have long believed an industry-wide code of conduct would help eradicate bad practices in the industry and streamline processes. But it is only last month that lenders and brokers finally took the first step towards a code. Natalie Martin reports

  • Crash course

    29 Oct 2007

    US sub-prime was only one factor in the credit crunch because underpriced risks made a correction inevitable, says sister title Fund Strategy's Vanessa Drucker

  • Credit consolidation under threat

    1 Nov 2007

    The Association of Finance Brokers believes the Office of Fair Trading's draft guidance on Consumer Credit Licenses risks bringing an end to credit consolidation arrangements, resulting in some firms withdrawing from the secured market.

  • Credit crunch means lenders should cut poor satellite packagers loose

    29 Oct 2007

    As a result of the dire straits the mortgage market finds itself in, I believe it is time lenders took more of an interest in distribution. Packagers have two main assets - packaging agreements and technology platforms. Several packagers have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on them over the past two years. But why on earth do any of them want to give away their competitive advantage to satellite packagers?

  • Critics, check your facts before wading in

    29 Oct 2007

    The mortgage industry has its fair share of mischief-makers and backstabbers, plus a small band of rogues. But Ray Boulger, senior technical manager at John Charcol, is none of the above - far from it, in fact.

  • Crunch time for marketing plans

    1 Nov 2007

    For marketing departments, the coming months look bleak. Those people that keep their jobs will be struggling to plan campaigns with limited budgets and an uncertain economic future. It's going to be a hand-to-mouth existence

  • CurriculumVitae: Paul Winter

    29 Oct 2007

    "When I graduated, my ambition was to be Prime Minister."

  • Darling looks at making BoE loans confidential

    29 Oct 2007

    Chancellor Alistair Darling may change the laws that prevented the Bank of England's loan to Northern Rock from being kept secret.

  • Dear Delia

    29 Oct 2007

    Dear Delia My client is on a limited income and together with his partner only earns £20,000 per year. They want to buy their first home together - a two-bed flat for around £160,000, which is a realistic price locally. He wants to keep his mortgage payments manageable and isn't interested in stretching their finances. They only have a couple of thousand pounds of savings plus a small amount of adverse credit. What are their options?

  • Debt advice service

    1 Nov 2007

    The Commerce Centre has launched a debt advisory service for its clients with Grant Thornton. The partnership enables the two parties to assess an individual's circumstances and provide specific, tailored solutions to help them become debt free. The service also allows mortgage advisors to check that advice they are giving is robust, and compliant.

  • Deutsche Bank overestimated impact of credit crunch

    31 Oct 2007

    Deutsche Bank has reported better than expected results for Q3.

  • Dinner comes with therapy for HIP providers

    29 Oct 2007

    The Association of Home Information Pack Providers held a charity gala dinner last week, featuring a former boxing world champion and an aptly named band, Group Therapy.

  • Diversification is the name of the game as the crunch bites

    1 Nov 2007

    In the current climate, reliance on one income stream could prove fatal. By diversifying into debt management, packagers, distributors and brokers have the opportunity to not just ensure their survival but create additional income, writes Matthew West

  • Do online trading platforms pose a threat to the future of master brokers?

    1 Nov 2007

    Online trading platforms are seen by some as making financial markets accessible to inexperienced newcomers. Our experts look at whether the technologies could make master brokers redundant

  • Don't believe the doom-mongers

    1 Nov 2007

    The headlines have been full of doom and gloom, but despite the sensationalist reporting, the lending industry still has plenty of reason to maintain a positive outlook. As long as people have difficulties getting loans, they will need our help

  • Don't blame US sub-prime

    1 Nov 2007

    According to sister publication Fund Strategy's Vanessa Drucker in New York, several factors afflicted the market this summer, but it's simplistic to assume the sub-prime problems alone caused the credit crunch

  • Don't take risks with statistics

    1 Nov 2007

    Gary Styles, risk, strategy and economics director of Hometrack, explains why market level arrears and possession data are tricky to understand, compare and trust

  • Don't write off IVA clients

    1 Nov 2007

    Debtors undertaking IVAs are a section of the sub-prime market with specific needs that can offer great business opportunities for distributors prepared to become more involved with the IVA industry and tailor products to meet the needs of IVA clients, writes Tim Leach

  • Economists rule out rate drop, says Thomson.

    2 Nov 2007

    Thomson Financial has reported only three of 41 economists polled believe the Bank of England will reduce interest rates to 5.50%.

  • Edeus axes 15% of staff

    2 Nov 2007

    Edeus has confirmed it is making 30 staff members redundant over the next few weeks.

  • Edeus in loan book fight-back with S&S deal

    1 Nov 2007

    Edeus has completed a loan book sale with Stroud & Swindon in an ongoing deal worth 60m. Although the sum involved is modest, the sale was achieved despite the stalemate in the mortgage book market and finger-waving by the Financial services Authority.

  • Edeus loan book purchase worth £60m, says S&S

    31 Oct 2007

    Stroud & Swindon says its loan book purchase from edeus was worth £60m and not £500m as previously rumoured.

  • Edeus makes loan sale to S&S

    29 Oct 2007

    IN THE FIRST sign of confidence returning to the market, edeus last week completed a whole loan book sale with Stroud & Swindon, rumoured to be around the £500m mark.

  • Elephant Loans sells Debt Smashers

    29 Oct 2007

    Elephant Loans has sold its debt management business Debt Smashers for £2.5m in a five-year deal.

  • Emlaunches IVA service

    29 Oct 2007

    Em-financial has launched an individual voluntary arrangement service in partnership with Grant Thornton. Mike Nicholson, head of operations at em-, says: "We believe the IVA service will strengthen our portfolio and offer consumers more choice."

  • Enterprise extends free prize draw deadline

    2 Nov 2007

    Enterprise Finance has extended its free prize draw - which has a top prize of a brand new Mini Cooper S - until the end of the year.

  • Equity release providers charge direct customers more, says KRS

    30 Oct 2007

    Retirees could pay over £11,000 more by going direct to a lender for a lifetime mortgage, warns Key Retirement Solutions.

  • European diversity shows up in buy-to-let market

    1 Nov 2007

    Most Britsh, German, Polish and Portuguese landlords are investing for their future, a new study by BM Solutions shows. But even so, the private rented sectors in these EU countries are as diverse as the member states themselves

  • Even lenders can find secured loans a mystery

    1 Nov 2007

    It is hard to open a financial magazine or newspaper at the moment without being confronted by the latest stories of doom and gloom.

  • Excited by state of the market

    1 Nov 2007

    Launching a mortgage support services firm in the current market sounds like a sure recipe for disaster but not to Paradigm Partners’ Paul Hogarth, Robert Hunt and John Coffield. Hunt, chief executive of Paradigm Mortgage Services, and Hogarth senior partner at Paradigm Partners, tell Matthew West why the firm has launched at just the right time.

  • Exclusive Connections: Time to stand up and be

    1 Nov 2007

    The difficult market situation has given packagers an ideal opportunity to show their worth. Intermediaries are looking for reassurance, and those packagers that can help them pick their way through the current minefield will be regarded as true friends

  • Falling PPI sales may hit commissions

    1 Nov 2007

    Concerns have surfaced that firms may start to reduce broker commission in response to a fall in payment protection insurance sales.

  • Fed forced into 9/11 scale bail out of money markets

    2 Nov 2007

    The Federal Reserve was forced into emergency action yesterday pumping $41bn into the US financial system as globally stock markets collapsed on fears the credit crunch may widen and the price of oil continued to rise to record levels.

  • Find new partners, master brokers told

    1 Nov 2007

    Master brokers are being advised to form new relationships with different product providers in a bid to hold on to their clients.

  • Firms running out of PPI excuses

    1 Nov 2007

    It's time to face the music and dance for many firms in the secured sector that have been enjoying healthy sales of single premium payment protection insurance.

  • First-time buyers an "endangered species", say housebuilders

    30 Oct 2007

    The New Homes Marketing Board has dubbed first-time buyers an “endangered species”.

  • FISA defends its code

    30 Oct 2007

    The Finance Industry Standards Association has defended its code and says it was not aware the Association of Finance Brokers had warned its members against subscribing to it.

  • FISA submits code for OFT approval

    2 Nov 2007

    The Finance Industry Standards Association will be submitting its Code of Conduct to the Office of Fair Trading for the first stage of OFT approval.

  • Formula offers IVA referral service

    1 Nov 2007

    Formula Mortgages is to launch an individual voluntary arrangement referral service.

  • Free valuation offer

    1 Nov 2007

    The Mortgage Partnership has launched a free valuation promotion on selected schemes from 10 of its panel lenders. The scheme includes free valuations on a range of products from full status and self-cert prime, through to unlimited adverse. The free valuations are available now subject to a £99 administration fee. Free legals are also available on selected remortgage schemes.

  • Freehold: FSA - the new Nostradamus

    1 Nov 2007

    The FSA's Financial Risk Outlook 2007, produced at the tail-end of 2006, appears to predict the credit crunch with uncanny accuracy. Perhaps we should pay more attention to what the next issue might have to say

  • FSA investigates internet brokers

    29 Oct 2007

    The Financial Services Authority is set to crack down on brokers using sites such as ebay to generate leads.

  • GE and Optoma drop First National rates

    2 Nov 2007

    GE Money Home Lending and Optoma have dropped rates on fixed, discount and reversionary First National products. Deals include a one-year near prime plus starting from 6.94%.

  • Getting MPPI back on track

    1 Nov 2007

    Shane Craig, managing director of standalone payment protection insurance provider Paymentcare, believes that MPPI has been unfairly dragged down by PPI - and says it is in the interests of everybody to get it back on track

  • Getting properties to reveal their hidden secrets

    1 Nov 2007

    Environmental hazards are an increasingly common problem, but are not always apparent before a mortgage offer is made. Tom Parker of Quest considers the issues and how to improve the valuation process

  • Getting the best from the direct route

    29 Oct 2007

    Directly authorised brokers don't feel loyalty to mortgage clubs because they don't share their revenue, but partnership propositions could provide the way forward, says Bob Hunt

  • GHL closes Classic as part of restructure

    2 Nov 2007

    GHL Group has closed the recently acquired Classic Network Solutions brand and will be absorbing it into its network model as a part of restructuring.

  • Global credit scoring launch

    1 Nov 2007

    Fair Isaac Corporation has announced the launch of its Global FICO score exclusively with the Irish Credit Bureau. The initiative provides the first credit bureau risk score for lenders in Ireland that combines Fair Isaac's analytical capabilities with the ICB's electronic library of consumer credit data.

  • Global markets tumble

    2 Nov 2007

    Global markets plummeted yesterday amid fears that several financial institutions are continuing to suffer the fallout of a declining US mortgage market.

  • GMAC adds Trigold's fast tack platform

    29 Oct 2007

    GMAC-RFC has announced it will be adopting Trigold’s latest ‘Fast Track’ filter technology to provide brokers and packagers with enhanced certainty when sourcing funding for clients. Fast tracking has been criticised in the past for allowing mortgage applicants to submit fraudulent information. But GMAC says the platform will ensure “robust financial checks” are carried out on intended borrowers without slowing down application to offer times. It says the new technology will ...

  • Going undercover

    1 Nov 2007

    With the recent heavy focus on the financial services industry by the regulator as well as the media, Loan Distributor thought it a good time to go mystery shopping to gauge whether firms are getting the message and sharpening their service to the customer. Natalie Martin reports

  • Goodbye YES, hello y3sLoans.com

    2 Nov 2007

    YES Loans and Mortgages will now be called y3sLoans.com following its recent acquisition of two other local brokerages - Intelligent Loans and b2b Loans & Mortgages. With immediate effect YES Loans and Mortgages will formally be known as y3sLoans.com. y3sLoans.com will incorporate three key specialist business areas which include secured loans, commercial lending and mortgages. In addition to the new corporate identity, y3sLoans.com is set to launch its electronic ...

  • Gordon Brown's premature election problem!

    1 Nov 2007

    Or Gordon Brown's premature election problem!

  • Group plans to improve market practices

    29 Oct 2007

    A major international banking group has come up with a five-point plan to tackle some of the problems in the investment market that sparked the global credit crunch.

  • Halifax appoints new national intermediary account manager

    2 Nov 2007

    Halifax has appointed Karen Bowman a national intermediary account manager.

  • Halifax offered mortgage on property but wouldn't insure it

    29 Oct 2007

    I was delighted to read in the October 22 issue of Mortgage Strategy that Jon Craven, head of mortgage intermediaries at Halifax General Insurance, believes that GI trading has never been easier having streamlined its system.

  • Hamptons International targets the North

    30 Oct 2007

    Hamptons International has unveiled plans to grow its business development team to help drive the company’s strategic expansion plan across the UK. It has increased its residential branch network to over 75 offices in the last few months and says it is on-target to meet its aim of growing the network to 100 offices by 2010.

  • Health warning for overseas property industry

    31 Oct 2007

    The organiser of an international property investment exhibition due next month has prescribed a health warning for the overseas market.

  • Help at hand for sub-prime clients

    29 Oct 2007

    Chase UK wants to recruit mortgage specialists to develop a credit counselling service for sub-prime borrowers left out in the cold by the liquidity crisis. It has set up a department to pick up cases that have no immediate lending opportunity to store leads for when the market recovers next year. It will keep clients informed and help them to maintain a credit rating until suitable products are available again.

  • Helping hands to meet TCF deadlines

    29 Oct 2007

    The regulator means business with its Treating Customers Fairly initiative but there's plenty of help available for firms striving to meet its exacting standards, says Sally Laker

  • Helping to solve the debt crisis

    1 Nov 2007

    Debt inquiries to the Citizens Advice Bureau have hit a record high - and the situation is only going to get worse, as thousands of people come off fixed rate mortgage deals. It is time for brokers to help out by taking on a debt management role, writes Andy Moody

  • HIPs are a waste of time, says Spicerhaart

    30 Oct 2007

    Spicerhaart has slammed Home Information Packs as a total waste of time.

  • HoC predicts packager cull

    29 Oct 2007

    Home of Choice has predicted that packagers will be the biggest casualties of the credit crunch, with just five likely to be still in business in six months' time.

  • Home of choice: Cowboys should leave town

    1 Nov 2007

    The FSA’s crackdown on dubious practices came just in time. In tough market conditions, the temptation for unscrupulous brokers to bypass the rules would have been huge. Now, with the regime about to get tougher still, it’s time for the cowboys to pack their bags.

  • Home rule: the derivative future

    1 Nov 2007

    Using homeowners as perhaps an unobvious starting point, Troy Martin of Acadametrics continues his exploration of how to develop a successful derivatives market in UK residential property

  • Homes worth 100 times 1957 value

    29 Oct 2007

    A property bought 50 years ago is today worth 100 times its original value, Home & Capital claims. The equity release provider says a UK property worth around £200,000 today cost less than £2,000 in 1957. A home owner who has lived in the same house for a lifetime would be sitting on £198,000 of equity.

  • Hornby - a man of integrity and conviction

    1 Nov 2007

    Richard Hornby, chairman of the Halifax in its golden age as a building society (1983-1990) and a conviction politician of the liberal right, died on September 22, aged 85.

  • Hotspots

    29 Oct 2007

    In this new weekly column, Roger Morris trails around the UK to visit brokers from lesser-known regions to discuss the local market and share their experiences

  • House price growth remains strong, says Nationwide

    31 Oct 2007

    House prices rose sharply in October despite weakening demand, the latest index from Nationwide shows.

  • House prices drop for first time in two years

    29 Oct 2007

    House prices fell for the first time in two years in October, research by Hometrack reveals.

  • House prices fell in October

    29 Oct 2007

    House prices fell for the first time in two years this month, Hometrack's market survey reveals. Following two months of zero growth, October saw a 0.1% fall in house prices. Average prices were down by between 0.1% and 0.2% across all regions except the West Midlands, where they were unchanged. London and South-East prices fell by between 0.4% to 0.5%.

  • How building societies are addressing affordability crisis

    1 Nov 2007

    Adrian Coles, director general of the Building Societies Association, looks at the affordability issue as explored in two BSA papers - one on house prices and a report on what building societies are doing to help people become homeowners

  • Hush hush

    1 Nov 2007

    Rookie error You'd think after three and a half years working as a mortgage journalist MD editor Matt West would be used to late nights, lots of booze and then having to get up early with a sore head. But it seems even almost a year of working alongside MD editor-in-chief Robyn Hall could not prepare West for the drinking marathon embarked upon with Matt Grayson of BM Solutions while on a recent trip to Brussels. Out with the pair until the small hours ...

  • If the Tories regain power, things will get a lot worse

    29 Oct 2007

    Having nailed your political colours to the mast, you may find yourself tied to it in the financial maelstrom that would no doubt accompany the Tories returning to power.

  • ifs reminds brokers of TCF classes

    30 Oct 2007

    The ifs School of Finance is reminding brokers that it offers classes in Treating Customers Fairly compliance.

  • IMA in call for bonds rethink

    1 Nov 2007

    The Investment Management Association has called on the Treasury and Financial Services Authority to reconsider proposals for a covered bond regime to ensure investors are not put at risk through exposure to low-quality assets such as sub-prime products.

  • Industry must face up to RDR challenge

    29 Oct 2007

    One could argue that brokers are cursed and blessed when it comes to the Retail Distribution Review. Although the RDR is not intended to encompass the mortgage market, this is an area of the financial services sector where consumer demand is high.

  • InterBay Commercial appoints Victoria's Simon Read

    31 Oct 2007

    InterBay Commercial has appointed Victoria's former business development director Simon Read.

  • Ipswich sees demand rise

    29 Oct 2007

    Ipswich has reported a sharp rise in new mortgage applications during Q3 2007 compared with 2006.

  • It's crunch time in a troubled market for secured brokers

    1 Nov 2007

    The impact of the credit crunch in the sub-prime market has been well documented but the second-charge sector has seen some attrition too. Rob Ridge, managing director of the Help Group, offers a secured broker's perspective

  • Jerez spirit holds key to survival

    1 Nov 2007

    Robert Sinclair, associate director of the Association of Finance Brokers will be answering questions every month put to him by brokers. If you have a question you would like him to answer, please email natalie.martin@centaur.co.uk

  • Jobs come under axe at c2 as liquidity crisis bites

    1 Nov 2007

    The c2 Group announced 16 redundancies this month as a direct result of the liquidity crisis affecting the UK mortgage market.

  • Joined-up thinking needed on housing

    29 Oct 2007

    The issue of affordability for first-time buyers and those on lower incomes is a topic that won't go away. While lenders have worked hard to come up with sensible and responsible financial solutions for first-timers, the lack of housing supply remains a problem and rapidly growing prices have made home ownership impossible for many.

  • Just Retirement reports 160% in equity release sales

    31 Oct 2007

    Just Retirement has reported a 160% increase in equity release advances to £39.5m for the three months ended September 30.

  • Kate Huet quits Advantage

    29 Oct 2007

    Kate Huet, marketing director at Advantage, has resigned for personal reasons. She will leave Advantage on November 30, after three years at the lender.

  • Kate quits

    1 Nov 2007

    Advantage has announced the departure of its marketing director Kate Huet, who is said to have resigned for personal and family reasons. Huet leaves the lender on November 30 after three years, having previously been in charge of her own advertising and marketing agency.

  • Keep up the good work

    1 Nov 2007

    From Mike BoyleI would like to express my delight in your magazine. It looks to support the secured loan industry, which is in a difficult time at the minute. Keep it up.Mike BoyleThe Loan DirectoryBy email

  • Keep your relationships alive

    1 Nov 2007

    Rather than becoming disenchanted with the impact market conditions are having on your business it is important to look for the positives. Focus on outlining realities to your clients and finding the best products for them in order to retain their custom in months to come

  • Kensington axes 65 staff

    1 Nov 2007

    With market conditions continuing to worsen as a result of the liquidity crisis, Kensington has today revealed it is to axe 65 of its 320-strong workforce.

  • KRS issues challenge on good practice

    29 Oct 2007

    KEY retirement Solutions has laid down the gauntlet to firms in the sector to meet their regulatory obligations.

  • Landlords favour flats and terraces, says Paragon

    30 Oct 2007

    Flats and terraced houses are the property types most favoured by buy-to-let investors, the latest landlord research from Paragon Mortgages reveals.

  • Laugh and the world laughs with you

    29 Oct 2007

    It's easy for brokers to get despondent with all the bad news in the market but a positive mindset can still work wonders, so pack up your troubles when you talk to clients, says Martin Wade

  • Lazy brokers have no excuse

    1 Nov 2007

    Because of the complexity of commercial deals, brokers can sometimes take the easy option of dealing with just one or a few lenders, especially as the commercial mortgage market is not regulated. But they could be guilty of not treating customers fairly, warns Natalie Martin

  • Legal & General: Crisis still has long way to go

    1 Nov 2007

    Several features of the UK sub-prime market means it is unlikely we will suffer as badly as the US sub-prime market from the effects of the credit crisis. Even so, the nervousness among lenders and therefore the dearth of good mortgage deals is expected to continue for some time

  • Legal definitiondon't remain in the dark

    1 Nov 2007

    Confused by the plethora of legal jargon in the mortgage industry or want to know what a legal term or practice means? Each month our panel of experts answer questions sent in by readers.

  • Lehman raises shoots of recovery

    29 Oct 2007

    The securitisation market started to show signs of life last week after Lehman Brothers launched a £225m deal and GMAC-RFC Nederland's assetbacked security became the first price transaction publicly sold in Europe.

  • Lehmans and c2 announce job cuts

    29 Oct 2007

    Lehman Brothers and The c2 Group announced redundancies last week. Lehmans increased the number of jobs at risk of redundancy within its lenders by 75, meaning 225 positions could be culled. The c2 Group has entered redundancy consultations with 16 of its 100-strong workforce.

  • Lehmans test call for RMBS

    1 Nov 2007

    Lehman Brothers has launched a securitisation, raising hopes that investor appetite for residential mortgage backed securities is returning.

  • Lenders' junk mail tactics are beginning to annoy me

    29 Oct 2007

    I was an English lecturer in a past life and I remember the debates about whether or not dictionaries should be prescriptive or descriptive. I think it's fair to say that the latter argument has won the day.

  • Lenders may quit PPI market

    1 Nov 2007

    Brokers are being advised to find alternative providers of payment protection insurance over fears that some lenders may soon pull out of the market.

  • Lenders must vet packagers to avoid those unable to pay fees

    1 Nov 2007

    Isn't it about time that lenders carried out more due diligence when appointing packagers to their panel? You'd have thought they would want to ensure the people they were dealing with were financially sound before they delegated authority to them to act on their behalf.

  • Let's move back to the good old days

    1 Nov 2007

    The chancellor's return to good old-fashioned banking values is making life a lot easier for mortgage lenders

  • Let's save the environment by simplifying TCF paperwork

    29 Oct 2007

    I want to promote a new and perhaps crazy idea - TCF or Treating Consultants Fairly.

  • Lexicon Group Conference 07: British Gas deal confirmed

    1 Nov 2007

    Lexicon Group today confirmed it has signed a five-year deal with British Gas to carry out Energy Performance Certificates across its commercial database of customers.

  • Lexicon Group Conference 07: Plans for Lexicon Gold still in swing

    1 Nov 2007

    Lexicon Group says its plans for mortgage club Lexicon Gold are still in swing despite the partnership no longer being aligned with Barton Gold.

  • Lexicon Group Conference 07: Robert Stirling secures City office

    1 Nov 2007

    Kevin Duffy, managing director of Robert Stirling, says the company has identified a City of London office close to Monument Station.

  • Life and pension business booms

    29 Oct 2007

    Friends Provident has reported a 21% increase in life and pension business to £5,582m in the first nine months of 2007. It also reports a 35% increase in life and pension business to £2,154m in Q3, up from £1,597m in the same period in 2006.

  • Lifetime deals buck the market

    29 Oct 2007

    Prudential has reported a 96% increase in lifetime mortgage advances in the first nine months of 2007 to 108m compared with the same period last year. But Prudential's overall sales fell by 20% to 529m.

  • Little demand for long-term fixes

    29 Oct 2007

    Demand is limited for long-term fixed rate mortgages, says Paragon Mortgages. Its research of 200 financial advisers showed that the longer the mortgage term, the less popular the product.

  • Londoners lead UK debt table

    29 Oct 2007

    Londoners are the most indebted of all UK residents, analysis by Callcredit has revealed. Residents of six Greater London areas have the country's highest debt rates, while those in Taunton, Bath, Bournemouth, Salisbury and Dorchester rank the lowest. In regional terms, London, the North-East, West Midlands, Scotland and Wales have the highest levels of debt.

  • Magic Loans buys new offices

    29 Oct 2007

    Magic Loans has acquired new premises to meet its expansion plans. The offices in Sale, Manchester more than treble the size of its existing premises. The firm says it plans to offer employees a games room, a small gym and a sauna.

  • Making MPs see sense is frustrating job

    29 Oct 2007

    As I was writing this column, the directors of Northern Rock were being interrogated by the Treasury Select Committee. Perhaps interrogated isn't the right word as it implies the committee had specific objectives in mind.

  • Market future is still rosy, says Datamonitor

    1 Nov 2007

    Datamonitor believes the future is still rosy for the secured loan market and predicts gross advances will reach 10.2bn in 2011, up from 7.5bn in 2006.

  • McCanns used Madeleine's fund to pay mortgage

    30 Oct 2007

    The McCanns used some of the fund for their missing daughter to repay their mortgage, it has been reported.

  • MCF questions lenders' commitment to TCF

    30 Oct 2007

    he Mortgage Compliance Forum, the cross mortgage industry group created by John Rice the managing director of the Regulatory Alliance of Mortgage Packagers says it has concerns about lenders’ commitment to treating customers fairly in the wake of product and lenders withdrawals from the market.

  • Me & My Car

    29 Oct 2007

    Driving a Lexus RX 400h hybrid helps me to cut my carbon emissions with no reduction in power, style or convenience - and there are plenty of additional attractions, says Darren Fry

  • Merrill Lynch accused of false statements

    31 Oct 2007

    An institutional investor has launched a lawsuit against Merrill Lynch, claiming it issued “false and misleading statements” about its exposure to high risk mortgage investments.

  • Merrill Lynch activities spark SEC investigation

    2 Nov 2007

    Activities at Merrill Lynch have prompted a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission, says the Wall Street Journal.

  • Merrill Lynch CEO retires

    30 Oct 2007

    Stan O'Neal has retired as chief executive of Merrill Lynch.

  • Merrill Lynch prepares to swing axe on CEO

    29 Oct 2007

    Merrill Lynch is preparing to announce the resignation of its chief executive Stan ONeal today following the investment bank's recent write down of $7.9bn in quarterly losses.

  • MI poised to see growth next year

    29 Oct 2007

    Mortgage Intelligence is poised for growth in 2008, despite the liquidity crisis facing the UK mortgage market.

  • Mind the gap year with offset deals

    29 Oct 2007

    The nights are drawing in and winter is near. I feel cheated that we've not had a summer this year and I've already spotted my first Christmas tree. Yes, our local garden centre sported a Winter Wonderland scene at the weekend.

  • Model to work out affordability

    29 Oct 2007

    Principality has launched an affordability calculator for mortgage applications. It looks at the applicant's income, expenditure and credit history.

  • Money Partners Move

    1 Nov 2007

    Money Partners is thought to be close to finding an investor after appointing PricewaterhouseCoopers to find potential business partners. David Johnston, chairman of Money Partners, is believed to be considering a management buy-out. However, Bob Sturges, director of communications at Money Partners, says it cannot comment on who it may or may not be in talks with. Money Partners made the decision to try to find a buyer in light of recent market events. Sturges adds: "Recent events ...

  • Moneyfacts Conference: Power set to shift back to lenders

    30 Oct 2007

    Next year will see the balance of power shift back to the lender from the borrower in the mortgage market, an industry analyst claims.

  • Moneynet.co.uk celebrates a decade online

    1 Nov 2007

    Moneynet.co.uk is celebrating 10 years online.

  • Mortgage approvals down says BoE

    29 Oct 2007

    The Bank of England says net mortgage lending in September rose but admits the number of loans approved for house purchase fell 20% on a year ago.

  • Mortgage Brain launches Affinity Club

    30 Oct 2007

    Mortgage Brain has launched a new service called Affinity Club,, which it says will offer intermediaries the chance to earn extra commission through the sale of financial products linked to mortgages.

  • Mortgage Express appoints new head of buy-to-let

    2 Nov 2007

    Mortgage Express has appointed Jeremy Law as head of buy-to-let.

  • Mortgage Intelligence: Let's stop this scaremongering

    1 Nov 2007

    To read the national press, one might think the housing market is about to go into meltdown. There may be challenging times ahead, but scaremongering is unhelpful to all concerned. As an industry, we must avoid sending out the wrong message

  • Mortgage milestone

    1 Nov 2007

    Commercial First has completed its 10,000th mortgage loan - the refinance of a retail premises in the West Midlands. The transaction raised capital for property expansion and renovation, with repayments spread over 30 years. It was introduced by Liberty Mortgages of Smethwick.

  • Mortgage possession orders down 1%, says MoJ

    2 Nov 2007

    Mortgage possession orders reached 23,806 in the third quarter of this year, down 1% on the same time last year, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.

  • Mortgage Times continues 60% proc fee offer

    2 Nov 2007

    The Mortgage Times Group is maintaining its offer of 60% of gross commission for brokers offering its secured loans products across the whole of the panel.

  • Mortgages PLC confirms 65 redundancies

    31 Oct 2007

    Mortgages PLC has confirmed it is making 20% of its 325-strong workforce redundant.

  • Mortgages will tear us apart again

    29 Oct 2007

    A recent case highlights the dangers of unmarried couples taking out mortgages as it can be a complicated and expensive business to sort things out if they split up, says Sue Read

  • Movers and shakers

    1 Nov 2007

    In the current credit crunch climate, we seem to have more moved and shaken than those who have climbed the ladders of ambition and success. But with the future of Northern Rock still in the balance, we feel we should flag up the creation of a new term in the corporate lexicon - that of the virtual appointment. US private equity firm J C Flowers has confirmed that should its bid for the Rock be successful, Richard Pym, former chief executive of Alliance & Leicester, will become interim ...

  • MPC's Bean speaks on lending to Dow Jones

    1 Nov 2007

    Charles Bean, executive director of the Bank of England, addressed Dow Jones regarding inflation and lending at City Club last night.

  • MPPI bears brunt of negative press, says CETA

    31 Oct 2007

    Negative press about payment protection insurance has unfairly caused mortgage PPI to also bear the brunt of the adverse publicity, warns CETA.

  • MT broker opens franchise

    29 Oct 2007

    An appointed representative of The Mortgage Times Group has opened a Century 21 franchise office in Manchester.

  • My Home Move appoints director

    29 Oct 2007

    My Home Move has made Mark Montgomery commercial director. He has over 15 years' experience in managing business-to-business and business-to consumer service solutions .

  • Nathan's charity mountain trek

    1 Nov 2007

    Commercial First has sponsored the ascent of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso, Italy's highest mountain, by further advance manager Nathan Calcott.

  • Network Data Holdings: Make harsh decisions to survive

    1 Nov 2007

    Packagers should put aside worries about the effect redundancies may have on morale within their firms and follow the mortgage lenders in cutting staff and budgets. Not doing so now could mean they might not be around when the sun re-emerges over the mortgage market next year

  • New home prices fall by 0.9%

    29 Oct 2007

    The average new home price has fallen by 0.9% on last month, says SmartNewHomes. com's monthly index. It says the average new home price is now £257,036, down 1.2% in the past three months.

  • New Resolution to seek a code of practice for comparison sites

    1 Nov 2007

    Following our coverage of John Woods, his wife and some interesting goings-ons (or offs, when it came to certain providers' products) at Moneyfacts, we are delighted to note that The Resolution Foundation has called for a voluntary code of practice for price comparison websites.

  • Newcastle comes top of buy-to-let hotspots

    29 Oct 2007

    Newcastle has secured the top position in a survey of buy-to-let hotspots across Britain.

  • No appetite for buy-to-let mortgages in Europe

    1 Nov 2007

    BM Solutions' pan-European study of the buy-to-let market reveals that while this specialist sector is booming in the UK, there appears little appetite for such loans over the Channel.

  • Northern Rock confirms Blackstone as adviser

    31 Oct 2007

    Northern Rock has confirmed that The Blackstone Group has been appointed financial adviser to the company, working alongside Merrill Lynch and Citi.

  • Now's not the time for industry leaders to slag each other off

    29 Oct 2007

    Trying to find a feel-good story in the post-credit crunch climate is nigh on impossible. No doubt we will weather the storm and come out stronger the other end, but in the interim we are finding the time to shoot our neighbours in the foot at the drop of a hat.

  • Number of loans approved for house purchases falls

    29 Oct 2007

    Figures out from the Bank of England show a fall in the number of loans approved for house purchase but a rise in the number of remortgages and secured loans.

  • On the case

    1 Nov 2007

    Situations like John and Suzanne's are becoming increasingly common. The current state of the market makes moving house seem like a fairly daunting prospect for many consumers. More and more people are looking to improve or extend their current properties as an alternative, and since many of them do not want to lose the benefits of their current mortgage arrangement or pay the redemption fees, secured loans are an obvious way for them to access the funds they need.

  • On the case

    1 Nov 2007

    Client A currently has a mortgage with a sub-prime lender, but needs to remortgage as his fixed rate is coming to an end. He requires an 85% fixed rate deal, but has fallen in arrears in the past three months, with two additional arrears between months seven to ten. The client wants to apply for another fixed rate to repair his credit.

  • One in four 18 to 24 year olds drowning in debt

    30 Oct 2007

    IVA.co.uk has released figures that show one in four 18 to 24 year olds are currently struggling to pay their debts.

  • O'Neal falls on his sword

    31 Oct 2007

    Stan O'Neal resigned yesterday as chief executive of Merrill Lynch, taking full responsibility for the biggest quaterly loss the copmany has suffered in its 93 year history.

  • One-stop sourcing to decision

    1 Nov 2007

    Increasing pressure to cut costs and meet regulatory requirements is pushing some specialist packagers to seek integration with lenders' decision systems. This gives them the ability to provide both a sourcing and decision service to brokers for products such as sub-prime

  • Open door package

    1 Nov 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services has added Open Door Solutions' to its packaging panel. Open Door will offer Paradigm's members a range of packaging services including a complete panel of packaged lenders, exclusive products, on-site underwriters and online tracking. It will also offer members the opportunity to become packaging partners.

  • Packagers can be stronger as distribution platforms

    1 Nov 2007

    When we went to the Packager Summit in Nice at the start of the year there was an upbeat positive feeling with much back slapping and platitudes from lenders commenting on how bright the outlook for the sector was in 2007.

  • Packagers confound the critics for a third year

    1 Nov 2007

    As I get older I look forward less and less to my birthdays but they seem to come round with an alarming regularity. Some will be wondering why on earth I'm talking about my birthday at all, which shows just how embedded regulation has become under the Financial Services Authority.

  • Paradigm appoints new partnership manager

    31 Oct 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services has unveiled Christine Newell as its new partnership development manager.

  • Paradigm appoints partnership development manager

    31 Oct 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services appointed Christine Newell as its partnership development manager.

  • Paradigm appoints partnership development manager

    1 Nov 2007

    Christine Newell is to join Paradigm Mortgage Services as partnership development manager next week.

  • Paradigm picks commercial partner

    29 Oct 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services has selected Commercial Mortgage Desk as its commercial lending partner.Paradigm members can now access CMD's panel of commercial lenders, which cover sub-prime and self-cert. There is a two-tier system so brokers can choose whether they want to handle a case themselves and have it packaged through CMD, or whether they would rather refer the case on to be handled entirely by the firm.

  • Paradigm teams up

    1 Nov 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services has teamed up with Freedom Finance as its preferred partner for secured loans. Paradigm members will be able to use Freedom Finance's Freedom of Choice secured loan sourcing system.

  • Paymentshield on Paradigm panel

    29 Oct 2007

    Paradigm Mortgage Services has added Paymentshield to its general insurance panel. Bob Hunt, chief executive of Paradigm, says: "The inclusion of Paymentshield to our general insurance panel is a bonus for members, who will now be able to access the comprehensive range of products available. They will also benefit from market-leading commissions."

  • Peggy's plight a sign we need rent-back rules

    29 Oct 2007

    Do a Google search for sell-and-rent-back and you'll find loads of firms claiming to be able to solve your money problems by selling your properties overnight without you even having to move out.

  • Pendulum swings between optimism and pessimism at Packager Update

    1 Nov 2007

    Defiant rallying calls and ominous forecasts punctuated the Mortgage Distributor Packager Update at the Gleneagles Hotel last month, leaving guests with the impression they were braced for either plunging fortunes or a bruising fight.

  • Personal Touch guarantees proc fees

    30 Oct 2007

    Personal Touch Packaging has had proc fees publicly guaranteed by the board of Personal Touch Financial Services.

  • Pingu poised for starring role in Leeds line-up

    1 Nov 2007

    As well as mortgages and investment products, Leeds Building Society will be selling Pingu keyrings throughout its 70 branches this November.

  • Pink launches final round of AR seminars

    30 Oct 2007

    Pink Home Loans is launching its final round of appointed representative seminars.

  • Pink scheme to send AR to Vegas

    30 Oct 2007

    Pink Home Loans has launched a prize trip to Las Vegas based on a points system developed for its appointed representatives.

  • Play up, play up and play the game

    29 Oct 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

  • Praxis and RAMP part ways

    1 Nov 2007

    Praxis will no longer form part of Regulatory Alliance of Mortgage Packagers.

  • Praxis unveils new management team

    30 Oct 2007

    Praxis Mortgage Solutions has unveiled its new management team, to be headed up by managing director Arif Darr.

  • Premier MOrtgage Service: Don't just bank on FSA Roadmap

    1 Nov 2007

    While the FSA's Mortgage Roadmap gives a strong indication of the regulator's thinking regarding mortgage advice, firms should also strive to glean a broader sense of the FSA's attitude to the sector in order to stave off an escalation of regulatory measures

  • Preparing to trade after the storm

    29 Oct 2007

    Apportioning blame for the credit crisis is a media distraction, and brokers and lenders should focus on ensuring their businesses are strong enough for a changed market, says Bill Warren

  • Pressure to sell mounts on Irish Nationwide chief

    1 Nov 2007

    Pressure is mounting on Irish Nationwide chief executive Michael Fingleton to complete a sale of the building society by the end of the year - and before his next birthday.

  • Priorities shift to get sales under control

    29 Oct 2007

    The mortgage industry is experiencing troubled times but amid the headlines announcing falling skies, some encouraging signs are appearing.

  • Professional Mortgage Packagers Alliance: Why we need a code of conduct

    1 Nov 2007

    Times are hard - and they will get worse before they get better. Perhaps now is the time to look at whether we need a code of conduct to deal with issues such as a packager suddenly going out of business, or setting up financial help for members in trouble

  • Prophecies of doom for the market are wide of the mark

    29 Oct 2007

    Much has been written of late suggesting that the property market is doomed and interest rates are on the up.

  • PTP and AToM move to guarantee proc fees

    31 Oct 2007

    Personal Touch Packaging has had proc fees publicly guaranteed by the board of Personal Touch Financial Services.

  • Pundits upbeat about buy-to-let prospects

    29 Oct 2007

    Buy-to-let brokers and lenders are unswervingly buoyant, with one claiming the sector has a bright future for the next decade.

  • Ranger is relieved to see it's not all work and no play for Stephen Johnson, sales and marketing director for Commercial First.

    1 Nov 2007

    Johnson was enjoying a relaxed morning in the gambling mecca when he was phoned by Loan Distributor editor Natalie Martin - at 8.30am Vegas time.

  • RBS Intermediary Partners introduces two long-term fixed rates

    1 Nov 2007

    RBS Intermediary Partners will be introducing two longer term fixed rate mortgages to its RBS purchase brand on November 5.

  • Redundancies sweep industry as credit crunch begins to hit home

    1 Nov 2007

    Lenders have begun to feel the effects of the US sub-prime credit crunch, with several announcing significant redundancies in recent weeks.

  • Regulatory Alliance of Mortgage Packagers: Lenders flee the sinking ship

    1 Nov 2007

    As the credit crunch hit, all the talk of partnership between lenders and packagers proved so much hot air. Like passengers on the Titanic, lenders rushed to jump ship, with little thought for those who were trampled underfoot

  • Report sees little competition on PPI

    1 Nov 2007

    Distributors face "little substantive competition" over sales of payment protection insurance, the initial report from the Competition Commission has said.

  • Rewarding lender excellence

    1 Nov 2007

    Lending Strategy didn't want to go into the awards business unless it could offer an accolade that was different, objective and added value to the industry. In partnership with Capital Blue, we now have exactly that

  • Rewards in facing up to debt

    1 Nov 2007

    A logical area for distributors to seek additional income is the growing debt market, writes Nick Du Boulay. There are opportunities for providing debt services, solutions and education to intermediaries that add up to a holistic approach to client management and retention

  • RIP Halifax mortgages, you will be greatly missed

    29 Oct 2007

    Having spent so much time and effort on improving its proposition, I'm sad to see the potential demise of Halifax as an intermediary lender.

  • S&S arm will take on heavy adverse business

    29 Oct 2007

    Stroud & Swindon has revealed that its lending subsidiary will span prime to heavy sub-prime business and is on target to launch in Q1 2008.

  • Salans opens new office and kicks off recruitment drive

    30 Oct 2007

    Salans, the international law firm and conveyancer, is opening a new office in Thetford, Norfolk and has announced the beginning of a recruitment drive.

  • Scarborough appoints head of group marketing

    29 Oct 2007

    Scarborough has appointed Dave Wormall as head of group marketing. Wormall has more than 20 years experience in marketing, primarily in financial services. His previous roles have included head of group communications and marketing director positions for other, leading UK financial services businesses.

  • Scottish government seeks to end Right to Buy on new homes

    1 Nov 2007

    The Scottish government has called for an end to Right to Buy on new social housing.

  • Sector offers lifeline to brokers

    1 Nov 2007

    As the markets experience a period of uncertainty, brokers are starting to try their hands at different markets. And one of these is bridging finance.

  • Sesame: Our roles are now in spotlight

    1 Nov 2007

    As the extent of the cost of the credit crunch and the increase in repossessions both here and in the US becomes clearer, the value brokers can add to their clients lives in helping them through these difficult times cannot be underestimated

  • Shadow world of global banking

    1 Nov 2007

    We don't know because we weren't allowed to be there, but the conclusion in Madrid last month of Eurocatalyst's five-year series on the globalisation of mortgage markets is rumoured to be the most provocative mortgage event ever. John Murray reports

  • Sharpe's the word as ex-Portman chief nets £1.7m

    1 Nov 2007

    The Portman's final accounts for the nine months to August 27, the date on which the building society's takeover by Nationwide became absolute, shows that erstwhile chief executive Robert Sharpe, 58, received a £1.7m pay-off.

  • Shift to protection

    1 Nov 2007

    Paaleads.com says brokers have begun to diversify away from mortgage leads in response to the credit crunch. Apart from mortgage leads, the firm also offers equity release, savings, pensions, investments and term assurance leads, and it says there has been a notable shift towards protection business.

  • SHIP appoints Rozario as director general

    30 Oct 2007

    Safe Home Income Plans has appointed Andrea Rozario as its first director general.

  • SHIP mark of quality is more important than ever

    29 Oct 2007

    As the chief executive of Safe Home Income Plans, I felt it important to respond to Mark King's recent letter (Mortgage Strategy October 22). He suggested that SHIP has become nothing more than an anachronism since the introduction of full Financial Services Authority regulation for the equity release market earlier this year.

  • Short end dates unfair to borrowers, says John Charcol

    29 Oct 2007

    John Charcol has hit out at lenders for their short end dates, which the broker claims can leave borrowers out of pocket.

  • Sights on big clubs

    1 Nov 2007

    Lexicon Group has agreed a commercial partnership with Oakwood Financial Management in a bid to rival the leading networks and clubs in the market.Oakwood and Lexicon will combine their distribution to negotiate exclusive products and proc fees from lenders, as well as share compliance and aggregation responsibilities. They are already in discussions with other firms about extending the venture.

  • Southerners pay vast bulk of Stamp Duty

    29 Oct 2007

    Home buyers in the south of England generated 73% of all Stamp Duty revenues in 2006/07, amounting to a massive £4.7bn, research from Halifax reveals.

  • Squabbling EU officials find common ground in the wake of credit crunch

    1 Nov 2007

    The turmoil following the crisis in the US sub-prime mortgage market has given rise to a number of run-ins in the European Union, with officials wanting to set out their stall on what is to blame for current instability, the extent of the damage and how it can be addressed.

  • Stock Picker

    29 Oct 2007

    Massive writedowns of $8.4bn from Merrill Lynch, the majority deriving from mortgage-related securities, set the tone for weaknesses across the UK banking sector.

  • Stroud & Swindon buys edeus loan book

    29 Oct 2007

    Stroud & Swindon has today completed a whole loan book sale from edeus.

  • Sub-prime: the American dream gets a reality check

    1 Nov 2007

    Craig Focardi continues his quarterly letter from America with an analysis of the sub-prime meltdown and, beyond the US mortgage industry's problems, he looks at the global mortgage securitisation crisis and what it might mean for the UK mortgage industry

  • Summit was marred by storm over Pritchard's silence

    29 Oct 2007

    Mortgage Strategy's Packager Update Summit in Gleneagles was undoubtedly a success and it was great to see the great and the good of the industry gathered in one place.

  • Swift changes

    1 Nov 2007

    The Swift group is making further changes to its underwriting criteria. Alterations include a minimum income of 10,000 per annum and a new debt-to-income ratio of 40% for secured loans.The lender has also raised its maximum LTV to 70% and has withdrawn its no-consent product and three- and four-year deals.It has also limited its payment options to direct debit only and cut its 100 processing payment.

  • Swift comes under fire

    1 Nov 2007

    Second charge lender Swift Advances came under the spotlight last month when it featured on BBC's Panorama and a Radio Five Live investigation.

  • Swift under fire from BBC

    1 Nov 2007

    Swift Advances came under the spotlight last month when it featured on BBC’s Panorama and a Radio Five Live investigation.

  • Take the longer-term view

    1 Nov 2007

    Sally Laker, managing director of Mortgage Intelligence, looks at how products have been withdrawn and criteria have changed as a result of the credit crunch but she believe that the surgery has been cosmetic and will be worthwhile in the long run

  • Tangible benefits of equity seminars

    29 Oct 2007

    In August 2006, I came up with an idea I thought would be beneficial for the equity release industry. The aim was to try to get the main product providers in the equity release market together at that year's London Mortgage Business Expo, rather than having them spread around Earl's Court.

  • Terry Bateman - Director of The Coaching Platform

    1 Nov 2007

    Terry Bateman is a life-long financial services professional and a director of The Coaching Platform, a specialist financial services training and consultancy company with particular involvement in mortgages, secured loans and bridging finance.

  • The bigger Picture

    1 Nov 2007

    Picture Financial has appointed advisory firm Kinmont Advisory to seek out potential partners interested in funding or buying the secured loan firm. Neville Allport, chief executive at Picture, says: "Picture has received a number of approaches from potential investors. Given the opportunities that exist, Picture's management team has engaged Kinmont Advisory to consider these approaches and identify the right potential business partners to form a strategic relationship with Picture, ...

  • The Mortgage Mole

    29 Oct 2007

    Digging the dirt in the mortgage world ...

  • Three cheers for efforts to gun down cowboy broker

    29 Oct 2007

    Having read the letter from Brian Humphreys (Mortgage Strategy October 22) about his efforts to stop the operations of a rogue broker, I would like to offer my support to him. We must remove these cowboys from the industry once and for all.

  • TietoEnator launches 30-minute mortgage origination system

    1 Nov 2007

    TietoEnator, which accounts for one in four UK mortgage transactions, has launched a new origination solution that will enable providers to confirm unconditional offers in under 30 minutes.

  • Time for relationship counselling

    1 Nov 2007

    Will the FSA change its collective mind on financial capability after digesting a new report from Standard Life and focus instead on relationship counselling and emotional intelligence?

  • TMP launches free valuations

    1 Nov 2007

    The Mortgage Partnership has announced the launch of a free valuation promotion on selected schemes from ten of its panel lenders.

  • Tonight equity release show ignored rent-back threat

    29 Oct 2007

    Some of you may have seen the Tonight with Trevor McDonald show, entitled 'I've lost my home - tales of equity release', broadcast on October 15 as a follow-up to a programme on the subject earlier in the year.

  • Top 10 stories online this week

    29 Oct 2007

    1. Mortgages PLC pulls out of medium adverse sector (24/10) 2. Bolton and Pritchard stand united (24/10) 3. Kensington to reprice prime products (24/10) 4. More job losses at Lehman Brothers (24/10) 5. C2 next to make redundancies (24/10) 6. Northern Rock hopelessly exposed, says chancellor (25/10)7. FSA ousts broker for failing to submit RMAR (25/10) 8. JC Flowers confirms NR talks and unveils team (26/10) 9. Kate Huet resigns from Advantage (24/10) 10. A&L and B&B well ...

  • Top UK banks rumoured to meeting up to discuss NR

    31 Oct 2007

    The UK's top banks are rumoured to be meeting tomorrow to discuss whether a full inquiry is needed into the recent fall from grace of Northern Rock.

  • Transactions not prices greatest victim of slowdown, says Hometrack

    1 Nov 2007

    House prices will rise by 1% in 200 as transactions fall by almost a fifth, says Hometrack.

  • Trouble ahead for remortgage clients

    29 Oct 2007

    The credit crunch has cut a swathe through lenders' product ranges and reduced their LTVs, so brokers must help their clients face up to a more difficult future, says Katie Tucker

  • UBS gives warning of further possible losses

    30 Oct 2007

    Swiss banking group UBS has reported pre-tax quaterly lossees of 726 million swiss francs (£304m) and given warning further may come by the end of the year.

  • UBS reports £304m loss in Q3

    30 Oct 2007

    UBS has reported a Q3 loss of 726 million swiss francs pre-tax (£304m).

  • UK could catch a nasty cold from next American sneeze

    1 Nov 2007

    With the US sub-prime crisis still fresh in the memory, there are other aspects of the US economy that equally have the potential to negatively impact on the UK's economic health

  • Unclaimed assets move

    1 Nov 2007

    The government has reaffirmed its commitment to a voluntary unclaimed assets scheme with a definition of 15 years of no customer activity - a move welcomed by the Building Societies Association, which said it would be encouraging all members to sign up.

  • Unfair to cut commission without warning

    1 Nov 2007

    From Andrew HughesI finally got my commission statement from Freedom Finance and I am not happy. I only found out about its new commission structure by accident, trawling though its website to try to find out when commissions were usually paid because mine was delayed. If I had not done so I would not have continued in ignorance, expecting 5% each time I submitted an application.

  • United Packagers Association: Service and IT - new buzz words

    1 Nov 2007

    In the current turbulent market as margins are squeezed and cashflow becomes tighter, packagers are shifting their marketing emphasis away from traditional product-driven marketing angles, and instead are talking up their service and technology

  • US tales point to widespread malpractice

    29 Oct 2007

    When it comes to the costs of the US sub-prime crisis and housing bubble, experts are throwing numbers around like frisbees.

  • V2 aims to have the Edge for Enterprise at Expo

    1 Nov 2007

    Enterprise Group is to officially launch its sourcing platform EDGE V2 at the Mortgage Business Expo in London on November 14.

  • Valuers' jitters hit secured borrowing

    29 Oct 2007

    The past couple of weeks have seen yet another negative development hit the secured loans market. As the housing market starts to slow down, valuers are beginning to reduce the amount they think a property is worth, making it yet more difficult for people to access secured loans.

  • Web brom

    1 Nov 2007

    West Brom for Intermediaries says online applications now account for the lion's share of all its intermediary-introduced business. Mark Lowndes, e-commerce and planning manager, says 80% of all new intermediary business is now submitted online and the lender now has more than 15,000 brokers registered to use its system.

  • Website questions must be thorough

    29 Oct 2007

    Comprehensive question sets on price comparison websites are crucial to achieve correct insurance quotes, says Onlyinsurance. com. It warns that recent analysis on user fatigue and high numbers of abandoned insurance quotes create the false assumption that question sets need to be simplified.

  • We're all in the same boat

    1 Nov 2007

    The time has come for everyone to put aside their differences and work together to restore some measure of stability and confidence to our beleaguered industry and help accelerate the process of returning to normality following the market crisis

  • West Brom appoints mortgage product manager

    29 Oct 2007

    West Brom for Intermediaries has appointed Andrew Egerton as senior product manager for mortgages.

  • West Brom for Intermediaries withdraws products

    29 Oct 2007

    West Bromwich will be withdrawing a range of buy-to-let trackers and prime fixed rates from its intermediary offering on Tuesday October 30.Online applications for affected products need to be submitted by the close of business on this date, although paper applications will be accepted until November 1.

  • West Brom names new sales chief

    29 Oct 2007

    Richard Scott has joined West Bromwich for Intermediaries as national sales manager.

  • What needs to be done to crack down on fraudulent broker practices?

    29 Oct 2007

    The FSA must tackle malpractice more quickly to boost consumer confidence in the mortgage industry, say our experts

  • White Label hires MD for launch

    1 Nov 2007

    White Label Loans is gearing up for its official launch after appointing Kam Sanghani, former head of lending at Lehman Brothers-owned London Mortgage Company, as its managing director.

  • Who will pay for abortive inquiries?

    1 Nov 2007

    Name and address suppliedWith mortgage conversion rates dropping due to lenders either withdrawing or reducing their product ranges, combined with commissions dropping, there potentially comes a point where the income derived from processing a mortgage or a secured loan is not sufficient to cover the processing and compliance costs of writing that mortgage/loan, plus all the abortive time spent on those inquiries you are unable to convert.

  • Working together is way to survive current market

    1 Nov 2007

    Fears over the future of payment protection insurance sales have surfaced, following the US credit crunch.

  • Would you use a credit card to make mortgage repayments or pay rent?

    29 Oct 2007

    More than a million householders have used a credit card to pay for their rent or mortgage, research by Shelter has revealed. With credit card firms typically charging interest rates of between 15% and 18%, this is nearly 50% higher than the steepest sub-prime mortgage rates. So this week Mortgage Strategy asks: Would you use a credit card to make mortgage repayments or pay rent?

  • Young has reasons to party

    1 Nov 2007

    November marks Bob Young's 10th year at Capital Home Loans but unlike other managing directors in the specialist lending sector, he is also celebrating the fact that the business is looking bright

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