SELLING August 26, 2010 MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROPERTY HUNT Q.Dear Russell, with property prices projected to fall and interest rates forecast to rise, should I buy? A.As with anything to do with property, it is all about timing. The latest surveys – whether they are from the major lenders, the high-street banks or the online property portals –are all pointing [...]
China Construction Bank boosts profit but growth slows August 22, 2010 PROFITS at China Construction Bank (CCB) rose by a fifth in the second quarter as the world’s second-biggest lender by market value seeks to raise 75bn yuan (£7.1bn) to fuel growth. Profit growth at CCB, China’s biggest lender to home buyers and construction projects, beat market expectations, but slowed from a rise of more than a [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 19, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ACCOUNTING ISSUES MAR CONNAUGHT SELL OFF PLANS Accountancy issues at Connaught are expected to have affected more than just the beleaguered property service group’s social housing maintenance division, according to people familiar with the matter. The development may affect the ability of Connaught to sell off parts of its business, which is one [...]
Bank lending to UK businesses remains weak August 19, 2010 NET lending to British businesses fell for the fourth month in a row in June while mortgage approvals slumped to their lowest level in over a year last month, figures from the Bank of England showed yesterday. In its Trends in Lending report, the central bank showed that the net monthly flow of lending to [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS August 19, 2010 LOYALTY DOESN’T ALWAYS PAY Shopping around for a cheaper quote for your car insurance really does pay off, according to research from Which?, the independent product-testing and consumer campaigning champion. It surveyed nearly 2,500 consumers and found that more than a third accepted their original car insurers’ renewal quotes because they “couldn’t be bothered to [...]
BUYING August 19, 2010 MANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q.Dear Camilla. I’m thinking about buying a property in London for investment but I keep seeing various contradicting indices and I am very confused. What is happening? A.There are so many indices and they often conflict – for example, the Halifax and Nationwide indices moved in opposite directions in July. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES TOUGH TARGETS FOR BENEFIT REFORMS The Treasury has required Iain Duncan Smith, work and pensions secretary, to find about £5 of savings for every £1 he spends to simplify the benefits system, setting tight financial conditions on dramatic reforms. The fiscal parameters mark an uneasy truce in a cabinet row that gives Mr [...]
Reposessions are still falling August 12, 2010 THE Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revised down its forecast for the number of borrowers who either fall behind in mortgage payments or lose their homes through repossession this year. The CML now expects 39,000 repossessions and 175,000 mortgages to end the year in arrears of 2.5 per cent or more, down from its [...]
PROPERTY NEWS August 12, 2010 SOLD! THE UK’S MOST EXPENSIVE HOME A penthouse in One Hyde Park, the lavish development in Knightsbridge, has entered the record books as the most expensive residential property in Britain – and, according to some estimates, the world – having been sold for £140m. The six bedroom apartment is spread over two floors with bullet [...]
Mortgage lending jumps in June but volumes stay below pre-crisis levels August 11, 2010 HOME loan volumes picked up in June but still languished at about a third of their pre-financial crisis levels, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Banks and building societies extended £13.1bn of credit to housebuyers in June, an increase of 15 per cent on May’s figure and seven per cent up on the [...]