There was a surprise jump in mortgage approvals in October – but it’s not necessarily good news November 24, 2016 House price growth may be suffering, but that hasn't had any effect on mortgage borrowing: figures published today showed the number of mortgages approved jumped to 40,900 in October. That figure is above September's figure of 38,700 – and, crucially, above expectations of 39,000. But the British Bankers' Association, which published the figures, said mortgage [...]
TSB moves to snap up £16bn Bradford & Bingley portfolio November 20, 2016 TSB has put an offer on the table for a £16bn mortgage loan portfolio which belonged to Bradford & Bingley. The government has been slowly but surely selling the assets it picked up in the fallout of the financial crisis, which includes parts of Bradford & Bingley's business. Now, the Sunday Times has reported UK [...]
Mortgage lending falls more than £1bn in October November 17, 2016 Mortgage lending in the UK dipped by £1.2bn in October compared with the previous year, according to data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). But despite the five per cent year-on-year decline, the figures were slightly above the trend for the last six months, in which mortgage lending averaged £20.1bn. They held on to post [...]
US mega fine looms over sale of RBS November 17, 2016 A possible US fine of $5bn-$12bn or more has hit the pause button on any further sale of the government’s huge holding in embattled lender RBS, two top officials told MPs yesterday. The boss of UKFI – the organisation charged with advising government on the sale of assets picked up during the financial crisis – [...]
Why new rules for your buy to let mortgage could be in the pipeline, as Bank of England handed new powers by Treasury November 16, 2016 The government is to hand the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) new powers to better regulate the buy to let market. The new abilities, which are intended to help better protect the financial system from any wobbles in the buy to let market, will allow the FPC to direct the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial [...]
Thanks Carney: Aldermore’s results boosted by Bank of England scheme November 10, 2016 Aldermore revealed today that it has boosted its new lending during the first nine months of the year, with a little help from a recently introduced Bank of England funding scheme. The figures The challenger bank announced it had generated £2.3bn in new lending during the first nine months of 2016, up 20 per cent [...]
How to put your children onto the property ladder (without acrimony) November 9, 2016 With rising house prices and tighter lending criteria, it is increasingly difficult for young people to get onto the housing ladder. In most cases, they will need to call on the Bank of Mum and Dad. Parents who want to help their children are often uncertain about the best way to provide the funds, the [...]
Trading update fails to excite investors as OneSavings Bank’s share price falls November 2, 2016 Double-digit growth is still on the cards at OneSavings Bank despite yesterday's resignations of two key board members. Shares in the challenger bank fell by over 1.5 per cent after it updated the market on trading this morning. The bank grew its loan book by 13 per cent for the first nine months of the year and net loans [...]
17m of us are now part of the sharing economy – but could be uninsured for it November 2, 2016 Nearly a third of Brits are now part of the so-called sharing economy, renting out their homes, cars, and even their dogs, or using these services themselves. Some 17m people across the country participate in the new and growing sector, while one in 10 offer up their services, according to new research by Lloyds Bank Insurance Of [...]
Lending leaps at Virgin Money but it’s cautious over Brexit November 1, 2016 Challenger bank Virgin Money shrugged off post-Brexit vote volatility, increasing mortgage and credit card lending – although it warned it was exercising caution. The figures Gross mortgage lending rose 19 per cent to £6.5bn in the nine months to the end of September, putting its total mortgage balances at £28.9bn. That pushed Virgin's share of total mortgage lending up to 3.6 [...]