The UK's independent property help portal
March 15, 2010

Lloyds encourages mortgage overpayments

Permalink: Lloyds encourages mortgage overpayments
by Kay Murchie

Lloyds encourages mortgage overpayments
The UK’s biggest mortgage lender, Lloyds Banking Group, is encouraging homeowners to pay off their mortgages early. Borrowers are being invited to overpay their mortgages by up to 20%. Currently, Lloyds’ annual limit is a 10% overpayment per year but in the current ...

March 12, 2010

Mortgage lending falls in January as buyers desert market

Permalink: Mortgage lending falls in January as buyers desert market
by Kay Murchie

Mortgage lending falls in January as buyers desert market
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today revealed a fall in mortgage lending for the month of January. According to the Council, there were just 32,000 loans approved for house buyers during the month – a fall of ...

March 9, 2010

First-time buyer numbers continue to dwindle

Permalink: First-time buyer numbers continue to dwindle
by Kay Murchie

First-time buyer numbers continue to dwindle
According to property website, Rightmove, the proportion of people who plan to buy a home who are first-time buyers has fallen for the second quarter in a row to almost 26%. Rightmove said the situation is worse in Scotland, where only one ...

March 8, 2010

Mortgage availability increases over the past month

Permalink: Mortgage availability increases over the past month
by Kay Murchie

Mortgage availability increases over the past month
According to financial information service, Moneyfacts, the number of mortgage products have increased over the past month. The news will undoubtedly be welcomed by first-time buyers - many of whom have been locked out of the market as a result ...

March 4, 2010

CML: Home ownership continues to fall

Permalink: CML: Home ownership continues to fall
by Kay Murchie

CML: Home ownership continues to fall
According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), home ownership in the UK continues to fall - as a result of affordability pressures and a shortage of new homes. During the 10-year period, 1999 and 2009, the number of new homes built ...

March 2, 2010

Persimmon reports £77.8m FY profit

Permalink: Persimmon reports £77.8m FY profit
by Kay Murchie

Persimmon reports £77.8m FY profit
Persimmon, which is the UK's largest housebuilder by market value, has today reported a pre-tax profit of £77.8 million compared with a £780 million loss in 2008. The latest result was fuelled by the reversal of £74.8 million of its previous provisions. The ...

March 1, 2010

BoE reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals

Permalink: BoE reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals
by Kay Murchie

BoE reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals
The Bank of England has today revealed a sharp fall in the number of new mortgages approved in January. According to the Bank, mortgage approvals for the month stood at 48,198, down from 58,223 in December and slightly under ...

February 24, 2010

Santander enhances mortgage product range

Permalink: Santander enhances mortgage product range
by Kay Murchie

Santander enhances mortgage product range
Spanish banking giant Santander, which is the UK’s second-largest mortgage lender behind Lloyds Banking Group, has today showed signs that lending criteria is loosening. The bank has announced it will increase the maximum loan sizes for first-time buyers. The limit for first-time buyers of ...

February 23, 2010

BBA reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals

Permalink: BBA reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals
by Kay Murchie

BBA reports sharp fall in January mortgage approvals
The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has today revealed a sharp fall in the number of new mortgages approved by the major banks in January. According to the BBA, mortgage approvals for the month stood at 35,000 - down from ...

February 18, 2010

Mortgage lending dives to 10-year low

Permalink: Mortgage lending dives to 10-year low
by Kay Murchie

Mortgage lending dives to 10-year low
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today revealed a fall in January mortgage lending - primarily due to the end of the stamp duty holiday, which prompted a rush to buy homes in December. In autumn 2008, the Government opted to ...

February 15, 2010

Taylor Wimpey offers incentives for potential homebuyers

Permalink: Taylor Wimpey offers incentives for potential homebuyers
by Kay Murchie

Taylor Wimpey offers incentives for potential homebuyers
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey is offering potential homebuyers to own their own home with a 5% deposit. Since the onset of the credit crunch over two years ago, first-time buyers have been struggling to get a foot on the property ladder since ...

February 11, 2010

Repossessions reach highest level since 1995

Permalink: Repossessions reach highest level since 1995
by Kay Murchie

Repossessions reach highest level since 1995
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) today revealed that the number of people who had their homes repossessed in 2009 was the highest since 1995. According to the Council, 46,000 homes were repossessed last year - an increase of 6,000 on the ...

February 3, 2010

FTBs receive a boost as hundreds of new mortgage products launched

Permalink: FTBs receive a boost as hundreds of new mortgage products launched
by Kay Murchie

FTBs receive a boost as hundreds of new mortgage products launched
First-time buyers (FTBs) received a boost today after financial website, Moneyfacts, revealed mortgage availability is rising. Since the onset of the credit crunch over two years ago, first-time buyers have been struggling to get a foot on ...

February 1, 2010

BoE: Mortgage approvals dip in December

Permalink: BoE: Mortgage approvals dip in December
by Kay Murchie

BoE: Mortgage approvals dip in December
The Bank of England has today revealed that the number of mortgages approved for house purchases fell in December compared with the previous month. The fall, which was the first in over a year, came as a surprise to many analysts as ...

January 26, 2010

FSA to protect mortgage holders in arrears

Permalink: FSA to protect mortgage holders in arrears
by Kay Murchie

FSA to protect mortgage holders in arrears
Under new proposals by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), mortgage holders who are in arrears will be better protected. The FSA said it wants lenders to guarantee they will use repossession a last resort and they will not be able to ...


BBA reports rise in December mortgage approvals

Permalink: BBA reports rise in December mortgage approvals
by Kay Murchie

BBA reports rise in December mortgage approvals
The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has today revealed a rise in the number of new mortgages approved by the major banks in December. According to the BBA, mortgage approvals for the month stood at 45,897 - slightly higher than the ...

January 21, 2010

CML: Mortgage lending sees surprise rise in December

Permalink: CML: Mortgage lending sees surprise rise in December
by Kay Murchie

CML: Mortgage lending sees surprise rise in December
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today announced a rise in December mortgage lending - traditionally a quiet month for house purchase. However, the CML attributed the rise to homeowners rushing to beat the stamp duty rise on 1 ...

January 20, 2010

Variable rate mortgages popular in low interest rate environment

Permalink: Variable rate mortgages popular in low interest rate environment
by Kay Murchie

Variable rate mortgages popular in low interest rate environment
According to mortgage broker, John Charcol, variable rate mortgage deals are proving to be extremely popular in the current low interest rate environment. The Bank of England has held interest rates at the historically low level of 0.5% since ...

January 18, 2010

Mortgage products increase but way off pre-credit crunch levels

Permalink: Mortgage products increase but way off pre-credit crunch levels
by Kay Murchie

Mortgage products increase but way off pre-credit crunch levels
Figures from moneysupermarket.com have revealed a rise in the number of mortgage products available but numbers are still way off the levels seen prior to the credit crunch in August 2007. According to the price comparison website, last week ...

January 14, 2010

CML: Mortgage lending down 4% on month

Permalink: CML: Mortgage lending down 4% on month
by Kay Murchie

CML: Mortgage lending down 4% on month
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today revealed that the number of home loans approved for house purchase fell 4% in November compared with the previous month. According to the CML, there were 53,000 mortgages granted to buyers, a fall ...