Why does the Halifax want advisors to stop calling?
Halifax Intermediaries is asking mortgage advisors not to call in with enquiries about cases unless they are urgent, citing delays to mortgage processing. The building society is stating that when it has to deal with a large number of phone enquiries from advisors, it...
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National home-building project to go ahead
A massive project of investment in infrastructure and home-building across the UK is set to go ahead, following the news that the Housing Secretary has given it the nod. Robert Jenrick has approved plans that will see close to £1.3 billion spent on building thousands...
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Help to Buy scheme deadline extended
The Help to Buy scheme, set up by the government to provide equity loans for homebuyers, is being extended to make sure that prospective buyers can take advantage of the loans despite delays caused by COVID-19. The closing date for new property buyers to be able to...
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Rise in UK house prices for July
The most recent house price index published by Nationwide shows that the average price of a house in the UK went up by 1.5% during July, compared with the same month in 2019. This index also revealed a rise in the average UK house price compared with the month before,...
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What can advisors do to help vulnerable clients through the crisis?
While it may appear as if the worst of the Covid-19 crisis is past us, the effects that both the pandemic and the locking down of the country will have had on the mental health and financial situations of many people are more long-term. Knowing which clients this...
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What does the latest data say about the UK property market?
The latest data from HMRC provides strong indicators that the housing market in the UK is already starting its recovery after being reopened following the lockdown. While this data is provisional, it reveals that there was a rise of 30% in the number of residential...
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Stamp duty changes lead to rise in mortgage enquiries
The decision to raise the stamp duty threshold on property sales, which Rishi Sunak announced this month, has had an immediate impact, with mortgage enquiries already increasing. Advisors are indicating that the response to the raising of the threshold, which was...
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Top industry awards night to take place online this year
One of the top annual awards nights for the mortgage industry will be going ahead this year despite the pandemic – as an interactive virtual event. The 2020 British Specialist Lending Awards will take place online, with people being asked to ‘attend’ by tuning into...
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House prices enjoy biggest rise in six years
New figures published by Home show that the average price of a house in the UK has undergone its biggest rise in over six years, with several factors likely to be responsible for this. The property search website’s Asking Price Index for July shows that the average UK...
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Mortgage advisor Q&A service started by Knowledge Bank
Knowledge Bank has announced that it is starting up a new service for advisors that will enable them to raise any issues they have with lenders. This service is called Criteria Clinic and it will take the form of live online sessions that are held once a week, with...
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How can mortgage firms support customers and staff with the ‘new normal’?
Although many of the restrictions that formed part of the lockdown response to Covid-19 are now being lifted, flexible and home working for non-essential office workers will be the norm for the foreseeable future. How can mortgage firms support their staff and...
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FSCS fee reduction pleases intermediaries
The news that fees for mortgage broker firms under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) have been cut for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic has been welcomed by the industry. Confirmation of a reduction in these fees during the crisis came via the...
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Sizeable lockdown applications increase for PRIMIS
PRIMIS Mortgage Network is stating that it experienced a sizeable year-on-year increase in the volume of applications to join the service in the period from April to June, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting government lockdown. During that period, the...
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Stamp duty threshold increased by government
The government has announced that the threshold for paying stamp duty is set to be increased to £500,000, as it tries to get the UK property market moving again. This measure will come into effect straight away, but it is a temporary rather than permanent solution....
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Government announces ambitious homes scheme
The government is launching a major project that is aimed at increasing the number of people in England able to own a house and re-energising the economy following the coronavirus pandemic. This project will see £12 billion invested in the building of affordable homes...
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