Mortgage lending rises as buyers borrow more despite election worries May 28, 2015 Mortgage lending kept growing in April despite the uncertainty of the election hanging over the housing market, according to figures yesterday from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). A total of 73,650 of mortgage loans were given out in the month, up from 72,074 in March. April’s loans were worth a total of £11.7bn, up from £11.5bn in [...]
London bucks trend of growth in UK new home registrations May 28, 2015 New home registrations declined in London during the period between February and April, despite an increase across the UK in general. Registrations of new homes increased by 20 per cent in the quarter, compared to the same period in 2013, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC), and 12,459 homes were registered in April, [...]
£1 trillion pot: Landlords’ wealth grows as UK house prices and rents rise May 28, 2015 Landlords earned £112bn last year from rent and rising house prices, according to a study out yesterday from Kent Reliance. The total value of their assets is up 11 per cent on the year to £990.7bn – just shy of £1 trillion. London’s private rental sector is worth £406.5bn, up £50.7bn on the year. As [...]
Helical Bar chief predicts record City office rents of £100 per sq ft and £75 per sq ft in Shoreditch May 28, 2015 The meteoric rise in London office rents is unlikely to slow down for at least another year, the chief executive of property developer Helical Bar said yesterday, as companies compete for limited office space. Mike Slade predicts that rents in the City will rise to a record £100 per square foot by 2017 and £75 [...]
Premier Oil makes Falkland Islands discovery at “most material well” of drilling campaign May 28, 2015 Analysts heralded yesterday’s announcement from London-listed Premier Oil, revealing that it has made an oil discovery at its Falkland Islands Isobel prospect, as “encouraging news” for the group. Andrew Lodge, exploration director at the FTSE 250 company, said the find was “an important play opening discovery” in a previously unexplored area of the North Falkland [...]
Lloyds and Aldermore lead SME loan rise May 28, 2015 Banklending to small businesses picked up at last in the first quarter, Bank of England figures showed yesterday. Net lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rose by £615m in the first quarter of 2015. It marks a sharp reversal after years of decline – in the final quarter of 2014, net lending [...]
British consumers are upbeat after General Election outcome May 28, 2015 UK shoppers were slightly less confident this month, but confidence levels remain relatively high, according to survey figures published today. The consumer confidence index put together by market researchers GFK edged down to a score of one for May, from April’s four. However, it is up on the same month last year when it scored [...]
Boom in the City as professional services output increases quickly May 28, 2015 Business services firms are seeing a boom on a scale not experienced for almost a decade, with sales volumes rocketing and hiring up, according to a study today from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Profits are picking up sharply at accountancy, law and marketing firms, with 39 per cent of business and professional services companies [...]
Dubai and Netherlands moves set IG Group on track for targets May 28, 2015 Online trading company IG Group said yesterday that it remains on track to meet full-year financial expectations. In a trading update for the fourth quarter, IG said it made good strategic progress over the period, extending its stockbroking offering into the Netherlands and receiving approval in-principle of its regulatory licence in Dubai towards the end [...]
RBS could be ordered to beef up new lender Williams and Glyn May 28, 2015 George Osborne yesterday asked the competition authorities to look into the RBS spin-off Williams and Glyn to make sure it is big enough to challenge other banks in the market. Bailed-out giant RBS has to carve the unit out of its existing branch and customer network, under terms imposed by the European Commission at the [...]