Mortgage approvals rise to nine-month high while consumer borrowing growth slows, says Bank of England November 29, 2018 Mortgage approvals rose to a surprising nine-month high last month, while consumer borrowing increased at its slowest pace since May 2015, the Bank of England said today. While the Bank said mortgage market activity was “broadly stable” in October, households borrowed an extra £4.1bn against their homes and the number of mortgages approved rose to [...]
How Brexit could help mortgage prisoners break free November 22, 2018 In the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, lenders were dishing out large mortgages and asking for tiny deposits in return. Property values were rapidly outpacing wage growth, and buyers were being allowed to borrow eight times their annual salary. For many homeowners, the problems started after the crash when the regulators forced [...]
Paragon gets tough on property valuation to mitigate against Brexit concerns November 21, 2018 UK bank Paragon will take a “robust approach” to property valuation to mitigate against a potential economic downturn following Brexit, it announced today. The FTSE 250 lender said it has strengthened an in-house property team that conducts two thirds of valuations and validates all valuations undertaken by third party surveyors. The company said in a statement: “The [...]
Banks should watch out – the fintech era has barely begun November 20, 2018 The fintech sector makes a lot of noise in London. There’s an endless stream of news about open banking and challenger banks, while the traditional finance sector watches on with a mixture of admiration and suspicion. Banks have come under attack, not only from the hype-machine, but more meaningfully from startups. Traditional finance providers that assumed [...]
Co-operative Bank reports £87m loss but mortgage completions reach highest quarterly level for five years November 6, 2018 The Co-operative Bank reported a pre-tax loss of £87m in the first nine months of the year but had its best quarter for mortgage completions in five years. The bank posted a third quarter profit of £14.3m – a marked improvement on the £25m loss over the same period the previous year – as it [...]
Opinion: When is the best time to extend the lease on my flat? October 29, 2018 This month commemorates the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers investment bank and the start of the worst crisis in the international financial system since the Great Depression. I bring this up because, after 10 years of austerity, you’d have thought that property prices in London would have taken a battering, but it [...]
Consumer credit growth stutters to three-year low as UK house purchases fall back October 29, 2018 Consumer borrowing grew at its lowest rate for three years last month after car sales dropped 20 per cent, the Bank of England revealed today. The annual growth rate of consumer borrowing hit 7.7 per cent last month, the lowest it's been since June 2015, and far below the 10.09 per cent growth rate in [...]
Opinion: Would a People’s Vote inspire investors to take a punt on London or would it just cause more uncertainty? October 19, 2018 This weekend sees the People’s March come to London, with thousands of people set to take to the streets to demand a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal. As a buying, I’m often asked about the impact of Brexit what the prospect of a People’s Vote could have on the prime London property market [...]
Bank of England warns on boom in lending to indebted firms October 17, 2018 The growth of new lending to already debt-burdened borrowers has parallels to the subprime mortgage boom which ended with the global financial crisis, according to minutes from a discussion by Bank of England’s top financial stability policymakers. Minutes published today from the financial policy committee (FPC) showed that members, who include Bank of England governor [...]
Mortgage approvals to first-time buyers hit highest level in more than a year October 16, 2018 The number of first-time buyer mortgage approvals hit 35,500 in August, reaching the highest level in more than a year. The figure was two per cent more than the previous month and peaked at the highest number since June 2017, according to UK Finance's Mortgage Trends Update. Read more: Foxtons closes flagship Park Lane office New lending to [...]