Former Shawbrook duo launch new investment firm for speciality finance businesses October 11, 2017 A duo from challenger bank Shawbrook have embarked on setting up a new investment firm, focused on companies in the speciality finance sector. Marc Sefton and Kieran McSweeney have founded Aquilam Capital, which will focus on investing and lending to businesses in the consumer and small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) finance niches and in the [...]
UK house prices: Country property prices are much higher than those in the city September 30, 2017 Rural house prices are a fifth more expensive those in cities outside London, according to the Halifax. The average country house price is £263,050, compared with the average urban price of £218,596. The biggest difference is in the West Midlands, where prices are almost 50 per cent more. “Homeowners looking to escape to the country [...]
London house prices have fallen for the first time in eight years says Nationwide’s house price index for September September 29, 2017 Year-on-year house prices in the capital have dropped for the first time in eight years, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index. Prices in the capital dropped to an average price of £471,761 this month, down 0.6 per cent compared with September last year. That makes London the weakest performing region for the first time [...]
UK mortgage lending is (almost) at its highest level since April 2008 September 26, 2017 Mortgage lending rose to its second highest level since April 2008 in August, new figures have shown. The figures, by UK Finance, showed total gross lending rose to £24.2bn in August, up 6.4 per cent from last month. The figure is the highest since March 2016, when an impending hike to stamp duty on buy [...]
Bank of England to make banks add £10bn buffer to cover consumer credit and warns on Brexit derivatives risk September 25, 2017 The Bank of England today issued its strongest warning yet on the fast-expanding consumer credit sector, with financial stability experts at Threadneedle Street saying banks must hold another £10bn to cover potential losses. Losses across the whole consumer credit sector could reach £30bn – £10bn higher than previous estimates – under the stress test scenario [...]
Proptech startup Habito lands £18.5m to make mortgages digital in series B led by Atomico September 3, 2017 A fintech startup focused on making mortgage applications easier has bagged millions more in funding from top investors. Atomico, the venture fund set up by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom, led the £18.5m series B round with existing investors Ribbit Capital, Mosaic Ventures and Revolutionary (ad)Ventures also participating. It brings total funding for the startup – [...]
Proptech startup Habito lands £18.5m to make mortgages digital September 3, 2017 A fintech startup focused on making mortgage applications easier has bagged millions more in funding from top investors. Atomico, the venture fund set up by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom, led the £18.5m series B round with existing investors Ribbit Capital, Mosaic Ventures and Revolutionary (ad)Ventures also participating. It brings total funding for the startup – [...]
Mortgage approvals jump to 16-month high while consumer credit growth slows, Bank of England figures show August 30, 2017 Mortgage approvals for house purchases jumped to a 16-month high in July, new figures from the Bank of England released today show. Last month, some 68,689 mortgages were approved, up from 65,318 in June and a seven-month low of 65,140 in April. Howard Archer, chief economic adviser for the EY Item Club, noted that July’s [...]
The global financial crisis 10 years on: six charts that tell the story July 31, 2017 It is hard to believe but it is 10 years since the start of the global financial crisis. Triggered by a collapse in the US housing market it caused the deepest recession in living memory and the near-collapse of the financial system. Banks failed, government institutions were bailed out, stockmarkets crashed and countries had to [...]
UK house prices: More than three quarters of homes are selling below asking price June 27, 2017 More than three quarters of homes sold for less than asking price in May, new figures have shown – as the number of homes for sale rises. Some three per cent of properties sold for more than asking price in May, a report by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) showed, down from seven [...]