Mood has shifted on housing market as rates rattle demand Property High mortgage rates are unlikely to deflate immediately even if the Iran ceasefire holds, property experts have warned, as rising rates stifle demand for houses. The number of Brits enquiring to buy a new home fell even further in March, down from negative 29 per cent in February to minus 39 per cent last month, [...]
‘Mortgage mayhem’: Banks’ rates soar past 5.5 per cent amid Iran war volatility Banking The UK mortgage market has been flipped upside down with Brits facing higher prices to borrow in the short-term as the Iran war rattles the economy. The average five-year fixed deal for a homeowner has spiked to 5.54 per cent this morning, up from 4.95 per cent at the start of March, according to financial [...]
Mortgage deals shrink by a fifth since outbreak of Iran war Banking The number of mortgage deals on offer for homeowners have shrunk by nearly a fifth since war broke out in Iran just over three weeks ago. Just shy of 1,500 fewer residential mortgages were available on Monday morning, compared with March 9, amounting to a contraction of 19.5 per cent. According to financial information platform [...]
Oaknorth delays net zero goal as US expansion fuels lending boom March 17, 2026 UK fintech Oaknorth has slapped a ten year delay on its ambition to be a net zero bank as the firm’s expansion across the Atlantic picked up pace. The small business lender said it expects to meet net zero commitments by 2045, as opposed to previous guidance of 2035 set four years ago. Oaknorth said [...]
Mortgage lenders pull deals at fastest pace since mini-Budget March 11, 2026 Mortgage lenders are pulling deals at the fastest rate since Liz Truss infamous mini-Budget amid growing agitation around the economic consequences of the Iran war. Nearly 500 homeowner mortgages have disappeared from the market in mere days, according to finanical information platform Moneyfacts, as average mortgage rates breeze past the five per cent mark. Moneyfacts [...]
Barclays joins run of mortgage rate hikes in blow to borrowers March 9, 2026 Barclays has become the latest in a flurry of mortgage lenders to hike their rates amid mounting fears the Bank of England will keep the base interest rates higher for longer following the war in the Middle East. The blue-chip banking giant has slapped a 0.1 per cent increase on rates on a selection of [...]
‘And so it begins’ – Mortgage lenders kick rates back up amid Middle East crisis March 5, 2026 A number of mortgage lenders are kicking the their rates back up, with more expected to follow, as market conditions remain volatile due to the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. HSBC UK has said it will increase some of its mortgage rates for first-time buyers, movers and re-mortgagers and the UK’s largest building society, [...]
Vanquis boss defends scrapping dividend as bank swings to profit February 26, 2026 The boss of Vanquis Bank has said he makes no apologies for a “conservative” approach to capital distribution as he launched a staunch defence of the group’s decision to axe its dividend for the second consecutive year. Ian McLaughlin, who took the helm at Vanquis in August 2023, said the bank’s “number one priority” was [...]
The FCA rule change everyone missed that could upend the mortgage market February 19, 2026 The FCA has set out a new, more pragmatic approach to affordability assessments that could open up the market, increasing competition and benefiting consumers and lenders alike, says Fernando Zandona Mortgages, and who provides them, have hardly changed in decades. The mortgage market remains one of the few sectors of UK financial services that seems [...]