BoA’s Countrywide pays $108m in FTC settlement June 7, 2010 BANK of America Corp has agreed to pay $108m (£75m) to settle government charges that its Countrywide unit, the mortgage lender that became synonymous with risky lending practices, bilked borrowers with misleading and excessive fees. The Federal Trade Commission said two Countrywide mortgage servicing units deceived cash-strapped homeowners by overcharging them by hundreds or thousands [...]
House prices fall in May June 4, 2010 HOUSE prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May following April’s 0.1 per cent, drop, according to mortgage lender Halifax The fall still left prices 6.9 per cent higher in the three months to May compared with a year ago and took the average price of a UK home to £167,570. Analysts had forecast a [...]
Modest gains for house prices June 3, 2010 HOUSE prices rose just 0.5 per cent in May on the previous month, indicating that after a sharp recovery, the UK property market is finally starting to level off. The latest monthly figures from mortgage lender Nationwide revealed that house prices are now up 12.2 per cent from their trough last February and are less [...]
Choosing the right lender is crucial in a tough market June 3, 2010 HOUSES are selling like hotcakes thanks to fierce competition among buyers. The latest monthly survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) showed that houses are shifting quicker than new ones could come on to the market, despite the number of new sellers increasing. Even the dreaded gazumping is back. In such a market, [...]
Q&A: SELLING June 3, 2010 Russell Hunt MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROPERTY HUNT Q. Dear Russell, is it easier to get a mortgage now and what’s the best way for me to go about getting one? A.It is certainly still difficult for individuals to get a mortgage but lending is starting to pick up. However, mortgage lenders are tending to be more [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 2, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ROLLS-ROYCE SPIRITS BUOYED BY GHOST Rolls-Royce says it will at least double its sales this year, thanks to the launch of its new Ghost model and a resurgance in demand for its high-priced cars around the world. Sales of the BMW-owned brand’s cars in China, where Rolls-Royce has seven dealerships, will for the [...]
House prices dampened by the election May 31, 2010 UNCERTAINTY over the outcome of the general election put a dampener on house prices in May. May’s monthly house price growth held steady at April’s three-month low of 0.2 per cent, property data company Hometrack said yesterday. Increases in sales, new buyers and new properties were all the weakest since January, when unusually icy weather [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS May 27, 2010 MORTGAGES FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS The Yorkshire Building Society this week launched a new range of mortgages for first time buyers. The products have no up-front product fees and £500 cashback. You can also borrow up to 85 per cent of the value of the property. Borrowers will also get a free standard valuation and free [...]
Q&A: BUYING May 27, 2010 Camilla Dell MANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q.Dear Camilla, Hips were originally introduced to protect buyers, now that they have been abolished what protection do buyers have? A. HOME Information Packs (Hips) were initially put in place to help buyers find out important information about the properties they were buying and to stop sales falling [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 26, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES APPLE, HP AND DELL INVESTIGATE FOXCONN AFTER SPATE OF SUICIDES Apple, Dell and HP, three of the world’s largest IT companies, said yesterday they were investigating working conditions at Foxconn after a series of suicides at the huge factory in southern China where Foxconn makes electronic goods. Nine workers at Foxconn’s Shenzhen plant, [...]