1.99% market leader mortgage from HSBC
March 12, 2010
Thanks to a lower arrangement fee and a 1.95 per cent discount, HSBC’s new mortgage offer appears to be a market leader and will be open to the market from Monday.
The lender’s current standard variable rate (SVR) is currently set at Read more
TV property show host found dead at home
March 2, 2010
One of BBC television’s most loved daytime presenters, Kristian Digby, was found dead at his home in London on Monday morning.
Kristian was perhaps best known for his role presenting the property programme ‘To Buy or Not to Buy’, where Read more
Yorkshire pledges to double mortgage lending in 2010
February 28, 2010
The UK’s second largest mutual lender, the Yorkshire Building Society, has pledged that this year it intends to double its level of mortgage lending. Many experts are seeing this as a sign that the outlook is certainly set to improve in the UK property market for 2010. Read more
Santander raises LTV for first time buyers
February 24, 2010
For the first time since the start of the credit crunch, Santander is allowing mortgages for first time buyers purchasing new-build properties and increasing their maximum loan sizes.
Formerly the Abbey Bank, Santander is making a move to increase activity in the housing market through first time buyers. Read more
Mortgage lending to pick up in 2010
February 21, 2010
Mortgage lending has so far got off to a slow start however, it is predicted to pick up in 2010 according to the CML.
January was a very slow month for 2010 following the boost that mortgage lending saw in December, thanks to the end of the stamp duty concession that came in on 1st January this year. Read more
Demand for mortgage advisors increasing
February 18, 2010
Consumer requests for local mortgage advisors have increased by 50 per cent since January last year, indicating an increased level of activity for the mortgage industry, according to mortgage website Unbiased.
In January 2010, the site received approximately 7,000 requests from the general public for the details of a local mortgage advisor – an increase of 50 per cent compared to the same month last year. Read more
73 year old bank robber wanted to pay his mortgage
February 15, 2010
A 73 year old bank robber said he only did it because he wanted the money to pay off his mortgage.
Times are tough for anyone, but robbing a bank to pay off your mortgage is certainly not recommended. That didn’t stop one pensioner in Florida from raiding three banks in order to get enough money together to pay his mortgage off. Read more
Stamp duty change boosts first-time buyer figures
February 12, 2010
Figures released for December show that first time buyers rushed to complete their mortgage before the stamp duty holiday ended.
According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the figure for mortgages granted for first time buyers in December was 24,900 – the highest figure for two years. This was 26% higher than November’s figures.
Until 1st January this year, the stamp duty level had been increased so no stamp duty was payable on properties up to £175,000. However, this has now reverted back so the 1% stamp duty is now payable once again on properties over £125,000. Read more
John Terry’s £4 million mortgage hits the headlines
February 9, 2010
John Terry is back in the headlines again this week; this time about his mortgage.
The Chelsea football star earns £170k a week and the media have been digging around the land registry information to see that Terry bought his mansion in Surrey for £2.25 million back in 2003 and yet last year, Terry took out a mortgage on the sme house for £3.95 million. Read more
Mixed data begs question: what will happen to interest rates tomorrow?
February 3, 2010
Tomorrow the Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee is expected to announce an end to the quantitative easing measures as economic data released yesterday shows mixed information.
The BoE released data showing that December gave surprise results of a drop of around 1,000 home loans in the level of mortgage lending – the first fall since November last year - and also a reduction in money supply. Read more
