‘And so it begins’ – Mortgage lenders kick rates back up amid Middle East crisis Banking 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, [...]
Ex Goldman chief: I smell another financial crisis Banking Goldman Sachs’ top boss throughout the 2008 financial crisis has sounded the alarm that the global economy was drawing closer to another crash. Billionaire investment banker Lloyd Blankfein, who served at the helm of Goldman from 2006 until 2018, said: “I don’t feel the storm, but the horses are starting to whinny in the corral.” [...]
Santander names new TSB boss ahead of takeover Banking Santander has named the new top boss of TSB Bank as the firm gears up for its blockbuster takeover of the high street unit. The Spanish-headquarted banking giant – which beat out its peers to snap up TSB for £2.6bn last July – appointed Nicola Bannister as the new chief executive of TSB. Bannister ascends [...]
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 [...]
Cash ISA changes add complexity to the market, says building society February 18, 2026 The government’s decision to cut the cash ISA tax-free ceiling has added “complexity” to the market, a building society executive has said, as Britons still seek to have a cash safety net. Speaking in an interview with City AM, Stuart Haire, chief executive of Skipton Group has said that while the government was correct to [...]
UK house prices see modest growth amid London slump February 18, 2026 UK house prices ticked up last year, but the London market continued to lag after property tax speculation and high mortgage rates constrained affordability. The average UK house price increased by 2.4 per cent annually in December 2025, slowing from 2.8 per cent growth in the year to November, according to the latest data from [...]
UK house prices stall in February after record January surge February 16, 2026 The average asking price of a house dipped by just £12 in February, pausing after the largest January jump recorded in Rightmove’s 25-year history. New listings coming to market this month are priced at an average of £368,019, compared with £368,031 in January, according to the property giant. The marginal month-on-month change follows a £9,893 [...]
UK fintech Zempler Bank snapped up for less than half previous valuation February 12, 2026 London-based fintech Zempler Bank has been snapped up by Nigeria’s biggest bank in a deal that has slashed the firm’s valuation, City AM can reveal. The small business lender – formerly known as Cashplus – has been acquired by The Access Bank UK with a price tag of around £3.45p per share. The sale represents [...]
TSB’s profit soars ahead of Santander takeover February 6, 2026 Profit at high street lender TSB soared in the latest financial year as the bank slashed costs ahead of its landmark takeover by Santander. TSB’s pre-tax profit hit £350.4m in 2025, a 20.7 per cent jump from the year prior. The growth was fuelled by rising income streams and falling costs, even as the bank [...]