Deutsche Bank mulls axing bonuses to pay loans fine December 18, 2016 Deutsche Bank could axe bonuses for some of its senior staff as scrambles to shore up cash to pay a potentially massive fine over toxic US loans. The bank, which has spooked investors in recent months with warnings over lower for longer interest rates and red tape pushing up costs, will not make a decision [...]
Loans to home buyers fell in October December 14, 2016 Loans to home buyers fell by eight per cent in October, despite the amount borrowers are paying towards interest rates hitting a historic low. First-time buyers borrowed £4.5bn, a monthly decrease of eight per cent, and a year-on-year drop of two per cent, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Read more: [...]
Financial watchdog wants to know if the mortgage system is working to the detriment of consumers December 12, 2016 Britain's financial regulator has put the competitiveness of the mortgage sector under the microscope and launched a sweeping review into industry practices. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today announced it wants to focus on whether or not customers are getting the best deal from the commercial arrangements between lenders, brokers and other players. Read more: Remortgaging valuations boom [...]
The FCA is cracking down on peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding (again) December 9, 2016 It seems like only yesterday the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was telling peer-to-peer lenders they must behave more like banks. Now the financial watchdog has proposed tough new rules, which will force crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms to comply with the same rules as major lenders on mortgage lending, restrict cross-platform investment and make them [...]
Property market predictions 2017: From Brexit to tenant fee bans, we’ve asked London’s biggest real estate agents to look into their crystal balls December 8, 2016 2017 will see the rise of Build-to-Rent in London Mark Collins, chairman at CBRE Residential Throughout 2017, I hope that SME developers continue to be championed and encouraged by local government, as these housebuilders will play a major role in alleviating the housing crisis. Access to land and financial support as well as flexible planning systems [...]
Opinion: Head of Savills’ Auctions on why owner occupiers are still the minority buying homes under the hammer December 8, 2016 Property auctions have changed dramatically over the last 30 years, evolving from small-scale events focused on lower value property, to day-long sales featuring a wide cross-section of the market. And the sector continues to grow. Savills Auctions has sold over £300m worth of property in 2016. Over the past three decades the reasons for selling [...]
US regulators have been much harsher than their UK counterparts while European authorities have been even kinder… December 5, 2016 US regulators have slapped fines on banks at four times the level imposed by their UK counterparts in connection with interest rate and foreign exchange manipulation. A total of 12 banks have been fined $9.8bn (£7.7bn) by US authorities over the last four and a half years. This compares with £2bn imposed on 11 lenders by UK authorities. [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland reaches £800m settlement deal with three shareholder groups December 5, 2016 Royal Bank of Scotland has reached a settlement with three out of five shareholder groups involved in claims relating to a rights issue the bank carried out during the financial crisis. RBS said today that it has concluded a "full and final" settlement with three of the groups, representing around 77 per cent of the [...]
Retail shareholders hold out for better deal in RBS lawsuit December 4, 2016 A subset of shareholders suing RBS over how it handled a financial crisis fundraising are holding out for a better deal, despite other investors closing in on an out of court offer. Shareholders are currently due to face off against the bank in court next March, claiming the lender misled them into taking part in a 2008 [...]
UK house price growth slowed again in November December 1, 2016 House prices grew by 0.1 per cent in November, with the rate of growth slowing to 4.4 per cent from 4.6 per cent in October, and analysts pointed to market uncertainty and cautious buyers and sellers having a cooling effect on the sector. The Nationwide House Prices Index showed the average price of a house [...]