UK house prices continue to rise following stamp duty deadline May 19, 2025 Demand for houses has dipped following the end of first-time buyer relief on stamp duty, despite a cut in interest rates. House prices grew by 0.6 per cent in April, according to Rightmove, the lowest at this time of year since 2016. The number of new properties coming onto the market for sale is 14 [...]
Natwest: Shares in FTSE 100 giant smash decade high May 15, 2025 Shares in banking giant Natwest notched a ten-year high on Thursday as the government continued to whittle down its stake in the lender. The FTSE 100 giant’s stock was up nearly one per cent during mid-day trading and touched highs of 498.8p. Natwest shares are up nearly 24 per cent since the beginning of 2025 [...]
Shawbrook Bank’s loan and deposit book boosted by retail demand May 15, 2025 Shawbrook Bank received a boost to its loan book in the first-quarter driven by strong demand in commercial and retail markets. Lending increased to £15.8bn, from £15.2bn at the end of 2024. This marked a 15 per cent annual jump. The growth came as the group’s structured lending pipeline reached a new high, as it [...]
Mortgages rates set to fall after Bank of England interest rate cut May 9, 2025 Analysts have predicted that the Bank of England’s decision to reduce interest rates on Thursday will encourage major banks to cut mortgage rates. Lower rates will be a major affordability boost for the UK’s housing market, which continues to price out young buyers unable to rely on financial gifts or savings. “If homebuyers can borrow more, they [...]
Revolut, Monzo and Wise: The UK fintechs slapped with the most complaints May 9, 2025 Fintechs may be giving banks a run for their money on innovation, but fresh data reveals they’re also competing on the unenviable field of complaints. New figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) showed Monzo and Revolut topped the fintech industry for the most complaints. Both firms’ customer bases swelled to over 10m users in [...]
What the Bank of England’s interest rate cut means for your mortgage May 8, 2025 The Bank of England has reduced rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.25 per cent in a hotly anticipated cut that will leave homeowners with big decisions for their mortgage deals. The reduced cost for banks to borrow money will have broad implications for the mortgage market, as banks lower interest rates on loans. Major [...]
Metro Bank shares soar as lender’s turnaround gathers pace May 8, 2025 Metro Bank said there was a “significant increase” in quarter one profit against the second half of 2024 during a trading update on Thursday. Shares in the bank jumped nearly four per cent during early trading. The London-based firm said it was “confident” it would meet full-year targets after a “structurally higher” net interest margin, [...]
House prices rise in April: ‘The market is baring its teeth’ May 8, 2025 House prices in the UK ticked up in April as the market unexpectedly bounced back from the end of stamp duty relief. According to Halifax, house prices increased by 0.3 per cent in April vs a fall of 0.5 per cent in March, making the average property now £297,781. Prices have been remarkably stable over [...]
TSB Bank’s profit rockets from stamp duty rush and cost-cutting May 8, 2025 TSB Bank’s cost-cutting plans and a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped bolster profits in the first quarter. The Edinburgh-headquartered lender increased profit before tax to £101.3m for the first three months of 2025 – an 89 per cent jump from £53.4m in 2024. Operating expenses fell 4.7 [...]
Britain’s SMEs must get over their aversion to debt to ramp up growth May 8, 2025 Britain's small businesses can power growth, but only with a rebooted SME finance market, writes Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies.