There are now 11 house-hunters for every property on the market February 27, 2017 The UK's housing crisis is getting worse, new figures have suggested – with 11 house-hunters vying for every property on the market. Research by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) suggested an average of 425 prospective buyers were registered to each estate agent branch in the UK in January, 10 per cent higher than [...]
Barclays to install ex-boss of B&Q-owner Kingfisher Sir Ian Cheshire as chair of its UK operations February 26, 2017 Barclays is set to announce Sir Ian Cheshire as chair of its UK ringfenced operations tomorrow. Under the ringfencing rules, banks have until 2019 to split their retail units away from their investment divisions. Sky News, which first reported the news of Cheshire's impending appointment, revealed the Prudential Regulation Authority, the banking sector watchdog, has now [...]
Opinion: If you’re an Airbnb host, there are a number of legal potholes that can catch you out if you’re not careful February 24, 2017 Airbnb is now a hugely popular online platform connecting would-be landlords (or “hosts”) with tenants (or “guests”). The site allows for the vetting of both hosts and guests through online reviews and provides hosts with insurance in case things go wrong. But that still leaves a number of legal snags, however, which can be easily [...]
Rightmove revenues jump as it attracts a record number of customers – but chief exec steps down February 24, 2017 Take that, rivals: Rightmove beat analyst expectations on almost every level with its 2016 results – another sign worries about the property market after the EU referendum were misplaced. The figures Revenues rose 15 per cent to £220m in 2016, with underlying operating profit rising 15 per cent to £166.2m. The company said it had attracted a record number of customers, with its [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland’s losses widen to £7bn for 2016 as mis-selling charges take their toll February 24, 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has announced a multi-billion pound loss for the year to the end of December due to misconduct charges and restructuring costs, making 2016 its ninth straight year of losses. The figures The 73 per cent state-owned bank posted an attributable loss of £6.96bn, after a loss of £1.98bn in 2015 due to litigation and [...]
Mortgage lenders have just had their best January since 2008 February 23, 2017 Mortgage lending hit £18.9bn in January, new figures have shown – two per cent up on the same month last year, and the best January since 2008. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said the figure was down six per cent on December's £20bn – but added that the number of first-time buyers had continued [...]
This is how City analysts reacted to Barclays’ results February 23, 2017 Another day, another big bank reports its numbers – this time, it's Barclays' turn. Shares in the the lender went up by more than three per cent after it reported pre-tax profits almost tripled last year, growing by a massive 182 per cent to hit £3.2bn – but the bank still missed expectations. Here's how [...]
Leeds Building Society’s profits headed north for the fourth year in a row, but boss warns low interest rates and Brexit could make the road ahead tough February 22, 2017 Leeds Building Society announced today its annual profits before tax had risen for the fourth year in a row, but the lender's boss warned super low interest rates could lead to tough times ahead. The figures The building society revealed profits before tax of £116.6m, up 7.5 per cent compared with £108.5m the year before. However, [...]
London home buyers down three per cent in fourth quarter of 2016, CML says February 22, 2017 The number of home buyers in London dropped to a four-year low last year, according to new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Home buyers in London borrowed £24.5bn for house purchase, down 0.4 per cent on 2015, and took out 75,800 loans, down seven per cent compared to the year before. The CML [...]
Analysts banking on Lloyds and Barclays to have steamed ahead during 2016, as other UK lenders struggle February 19, 2017 Analysts are predicting Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays will race ahead of the pack when the UK's big banks report their earnings this week. Lloyds, which will report its 2016 full-year figures on Wednesday, is forecast a statutory pre-tax profit of £4.4bn, more than double the £1.6bn it reported in 2015, when its earning potential [...]