Cheaper mortgages to support sales as house price growth slows April 29, 2025 Lower demand and higher supply caused house price growth to slow in March, but analysts expect an improvement in affordability to boost prices in the coming months. House price growth slowed to 1.6 per cent annually in March, down from 1.9 per cent at the end of 2024, according to Zoopla’s latest house price index. [...]
Crisis, debt and a £46bn bailout: Inside Natwest’s return to private ownership April 24, 2025 Natwest is set to end one of British banking’s longest running sagas, as the lender stands inches away from returning to private ownership for the first time in nearly two decades. The FTSE 100 giant has whittled the UK government’s share in the bank to under three per cent, with a full exit expected in [...]
Clearbank, Allica, Atom: The fast-growing future of UK fintech April 19, 2025 Fintech has planted its flag firmly in the Square Mile. Industry giants Monzo and Starling have become household names, helping London to established itself as a leading global fintech hub. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment was at £7.9bn last year. And now young firms are growing faster than ever, promising to send a [...]
HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds: Lenders bank on interest rate cut as mortgage ‘price war’ heats up April 17, 2025 Top UK lenders are offering more mortgages to prospective house buyers, the Bank of England has revealed, as falling interest rates stir up a “price war” on the high street. The Bank’s credit conditions survey revealed that the burgeoning supply of mortgages would come against a levelling off in demand in the three months to [...]
Can tech help the state of the UK property market? April 16, 2025 Despite its vast size, the UK property industry lags much of the rest of the economy on technology adoption, with highly fragmented and deeply traditional ways of doing business. Many of these businesses still rely on outdated practices rooted in manual labour and legacy systems. While consumer expectations have shifted towards seamless, tech-enhanced experiences, the [...]
UK house prices hit record high in April despite stamp duty changes April 14, 2025 The average UK house price rose 1.4 per cent in April despite fears of a market slowdown in the wake of changes to stamp duty. UK house prices hit a new record high of £377,182, according to Rightmove. Analysts said that lower mortgage rates have offset the impact of stamp duty changes and the typical [...]
How will the tariff turmoil affect your mortgage? April 7, 2025 The fallout from President Donald Trump’s decision to impose wide-ranging tariffs on the world has left no stock market unscathed, but it’s possible Brits’ mortgages will benefit from the upset. The decision, which placed a minimum tariff of 10 per cent on all countries (including the UK), and higher tariffs on many more, has increased [...]
UK mortgage approvals dip in February March 31, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases decreased again in February as gains in consumer credit borrowing slowed down by £300m compared to January, the Bank of England said on Tuesday. House buying appeared to slow down as lenders approved around 65,500 mortgages in February, compared to some 66,100 in January. January saw a decrease of around [...]
Santander becomes first major lender to loosen mortgage rules March 28, 2025 Santander has become the first major UK lender to relax its mortgage rules following a nudge from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Homebuyers could be able to borrow an extra £35,000 on a mortgage under the changed rules. The UK’s fourth-largest mortgage lender will reduce rates on borrower’s stress tests, which are used to check [...]
House prices rise at their fastest in two years March 26, 2025 New data shows that in January, house prices rose rapidly in Northern England and Yorkshire. Average UK house prices increased by 4.9 per cent to £269,000 in the 12 months to January 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This annual growth rate is up from 4.6 per cent in the 12 months [...]