Caution persists in London’s prime property market after Budget hit December 27, 2024 A tense political and economic environment has left buyers of prime property cautious in the last few months of the year, with prices dipping in central London. House prices in Knightsbridge and Belgravia fell by two per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively, while prices fell 0.8 per cent across the capital as a whole, [...]
UK house prices reach record levels with demand set to continue December 6, 2024 House prices have now reached record levels as lower mortgage rates have helped improve buyer confidence for the fifth month in a row. According to the Halifax House Price Index, UK house prices rose 1.3 per cent in November, the biggest increase this year. November’s increase pushed the annual growth rate up 4.8 per cent, [...]
UK mortgage approvals rose to more than two-year high before Budget November 29, 2024 UK lenders approved the most mortgages in more than two years last month as Britain’s housing market proved resilient ahead of the new government’s first Budget. Banks and building societies gave the green light to 68,300 loans for house purchase in October, according to data from the Bank of England. That figure is the highest [...]
Square Mile and Me: Together’s Ryan Etchells on going from intern to CCO November 7, 2024 Each week we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, it's Together CCO Ryan Etchells, with a northerner's perspective on the Square Mile.
On housing, the government’s numbers just don’t add up October 29, 2024 Developers can only build at the rate they can sell, and this is intrinsically linked to mortgage financing. Long-term, fixed-rate mortgages above the 4.5 times income threshold can be part of the solution, says Arjan Verbeek The United Kingdom’s housing market is at a critical juncture. The government has pledged to deliver 300,000 new homes [...]
Lloyds Bank: Lender beats profit estimates as consumers prove resilient October 23, 2024 Lloyds Banking Group has beaten profit estimates as the lender set aside less than expected for souring loans and saw improved consumer confidence.
Lendinvest taps Barclays, HSBC and BNP for £300m financing October 21, 2024 Lendinvest has renewed a £300m financing deal with Barclays, HSBC and France’s BNP Paribas as the property fintech looks to return to profitability. The AIM-listed firm said the revolving warehouse financing agreement, shared equally between the three banks, had been extended for an additional three years on what it called improved terms. LendInvest said the [...]
Longer-term mortgages are on the rise amid financial stability risk concerns October 17, 2024 In the first quarter of 2024, half of new mortgages had terms of 30 years or longer, up from just 12 per cent in the final quarter of 2005.
TSB Bank handed huge fine for failing customers in arrears October 10, 2024 The financial watchdog has fined bank TSB almost £11m over its treatment of customers, but the penalty could have been even worse. TSB Bank will have to pay £10,910,500 after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found it had failed to ensure customers in arrears were treated fairly. The FCA said it also didn’t have sufficient [...]
Millions set for mortgage payment shock this year October 2, 2024 Mortgagors refinancing over the next year will continue to see a big jump in their monthly repayments.