Co-Op Bank given breathing space on capital requirements by Bank of England body Prudential Regulation Authority November 12, 2015 The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has said the Co-Operative Bank does not need to issue more debt to cover its capital requirements this year. The Co-Op Bank was the only UK lender to fail the BoE's stress tests last year. The minimum capital ratio needed to pass the test was 4.5 per cent; [...]
House purchase lending jumps to seven-year for October November 12, 2015 Mortgage lending reached its highest level for the month of October in seven years, new data released today shows, as low inflation rates and rising wages helped keep consumer confidence levels high. Overall house purchase lending approvals reached 72,409 in October, up by 5.1 per cent on the previous month and 21.9 per cent ahead [...]
First-time buyers fuel rise in mortgage lending in September November 11, 2015 Mortgage lending rose year-on-year in September, new data shows, driven by a jump in first time buyers taking out new loans. The month saw 28,600 first-time buyers take out mortgages, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), which was up four per cent on the previous month and by 8.7 per cent year-on-year. By value, [...]
Vocalink is reportedly in talks to merge with rival Sia November 5, 2015 Payments infrastructure company Vocalink is reportedly in talks for a £2bn merger with Italian counterpart Sia. According to Sky News the discussions are said to be at a preliminary stage, and could take several months before an agreement is reached. Vocalink declined to comment. VocaLink runs the Faster Payments Service and BACs which handle trillions [...]
UK house prices: Persimmon share price falls despite jump in sales November 4, 2015 Are housebuilders finally feeling the heat? FTSE-listed builder Persimmon reported a 12 per cent sales hike in the third quarter this morning – but shares continued to slide after the sector had a spot of bother with a broker yesterday. The figures Sales were 12 per cent higher in the period since it reported its half year results on [...]
Why it’s time to think about remortgaging your house November 4, 2015 Homeowners are currently benefitting from record low interest rates. This is a result of a number of factors, including greater competition in the market, strengthening confidence in the economy, and the Bank of England’s base rate being held at an all-time low. Many seasoned players in the mortgage market may remember watching for the [...]
RBS’s share price falls as it reports decline in third quarter profits missing estimates October 30, 2015 Royal Bank of Scotland has reported third quarter adjusted operating profits down more than half, missing expectations. The lender's shares fell one per cent to 317.40p as the markets opened on the news. The figures The bank said pre-tax profit before one time items and restructuring costs fell to £842m, from £2bn a year ago, after £126m of losses relating to IFRS volatility, and £77m of [...]
Nationwide house prices index: UK house prices rise again in October October 29, 2015 Ever feel like you're repeating yourself? House prices have risen again, new figures showed today, with prices rising 3.9 per cent in the year to October, up from 3.8 per cent last year. The Nationwide House Price Index showed the average price has now crept up to £196,807, up from £195,585 this time last year. That's [...]
Land Registry: London house prices hit half million-pound mark October 28, 2015 UK house prices rose by 5.3 per cent in the year to September, with the price of an average London property reaching half a million pounds for the first time, Land Registry figures show. London posted the biggest annual rise of 9.6 per cent in September and also outpaced the rest of the UK on a [...]
Fixed rate mortgages growing in popularity as rates begin to rise – Mortgage Advice Bureau October 28, 2015 Fixed mortgage rates are growing in popularity, with 96 per cent of homebuyers opting for such products in September amid rising average rates, according to the latest national mortgage index from the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). The average two year fixed rate rose from 2.68 per cent in August to 2.72 per cent in September, [...]