Mortgage approvals plummet to their lowest level for 18 months July 30, 2012 MORTGAGE approvals plunged to their lowest number in a year and a half in June, according to Bank of England data released yesterday. Only 44,192 loans for home purchase were waved through by lenders last month, down from 50,544 in May and significantly below economists’ forecasts. While two extra bank holidays falling in June might [...]
LONDON WEEK AHEAD July 29, 2012 RESULTS season continues with a slew of banks, energy and leisure firms due to update this week, while the Bank of England’s monthly decision on interest rates is due on Thursday. Today’s biggest news comes in the form of interims from under-fire banking giant HSBC and household goods behemoth Reckitt Benckiser. The Bank is set [...]
Firms’ demand for credit fell again in June July 24, 2012 BUSINESS borrowing slumped again in June according to industry figures released yesterday, raising more fears that there is little demand for credit and so the government’s “funding for lending” scheme, which starts next month, may not work. Net lending to non-financial businesses fell £3.2bn in June, reversing May’s £1.3bn rise, British Banking Association data showed. [...]
Wells Fargo pays $175m fine July 12, 2012 Wells Fargo yesterday agreed to pay $125m (£81m) to resolve allegations it discriminated against certain borrowers on the basis of race and national origin in its mortgage lending, the US government said yesterday. Wells Fargo also agreed to contribute $50m to help those buyers making down payments or improving their homes in some metropolitan areas [...]
Businesses lose out as bank lending slumps even further July 3, 2012 LENDING to businesses dropped in May, according to banking industry data published by the Bank of England yesterday. Equity fund-raising also dipped, as did commercial paper issuance. Consumers were also hit – although credit rose slightly overall, mortgage approvals remained low and the overall market is sluggish. Net business lending fell £1.7bn in May, reversing [...]
First dip in net mortgage lending since counting began, say banks June 27, 2012 NET MORTGAGE lending fell in May for the first time since the British Banking Association (BBA) began measuring the figure in 1997, the financial sector industry group said yesterday. With capital repayments outpacing stable gross lending, net mortgage lending dipped by £73m from April. And mortgage approvals fell 3.4 per cent in the year to [...]
Federal Reserve backs global regulators on Basel III proposal June 7, 2012 AMERICA’S Federal Reserve last night released a proposal to back the Basel III agreement on higher capital standards for banks, even though it largely rejects pleas by the US banking industry to soften parts of the new standards. The Fed board voted 7-0 yesterday to put the proposal out for public comment. The Federal Deposit Insurance [...]
House prices edge up in May May 31, 2012 House prices rose slightly more than expected this month to leave prices broadly unchanged on a year ago against a backdrop of generally subdued demand, according to figures from mortgage lender Nationwide. House prices rose 0.3 per cent in May after a 0.3 per cent drop the month before – a marginally bigger rise than [...]
Consumers cut back on credit card borrowing May 30, 2012 BANK lending fell again in the three months to April, Bank of England figures showed yesterday, while consumers also cut back on new unsecured credit. Overall lending to non-financial corporations dropped by an annualised 4.9 per cent in the three-month period, with construction lending falling 10.1 per cent and services down by the same and [...]
FTSE lurches towards worst month since August May 30, 2012 The FTSE 100 dipped this morning as the Eurozone’s debt woes continued to cast a shadow and hopes that China would trigger further fiscal stimulus were dealt a blow. Investors are awaiting the European Commission’s economic strategy on how austerity measures can be introduced without quashing the growth required for recovery. Concerns about Spain’s ability [...]