‘Mortgage mayhem’: Banks’ rates soar past 5.5 per cent amid Iran war volatility March 25, 2026 The UK mortgage market has been flipped upside down with Brits facing higher prices to borrow in the short-term as the Iran war rattles the economy. The average five-year fixed deal for a homeowner has spiked to 5.54 per cent this morning, up from 4.95 per cent at the start of March, according to financial [...]
Housebuilding stocks slump as Bellway issues Iran mortgage warning March 24, 2026 Shares in Bellway slumped eight per cent after it warned the Iran war is causing mortgage “volatility,” as a host of leading housebuilders were dragged down with it. FTSE 100 housebuilders Barratt Redrow, Berkeley and Persimmon were all down at least one per cent on Tuesday’s early trading, with the latter taking a two per [...]
Mortgage deals shrink by a fifth since outbreak of Iran war March 23, 2026 The number of mortgage deals on offer for homeowners have shrunk by nearly a fifth since war broke out in Iran just over three weeks ago. Just shy of 1,500 fewer residential mortgages were available on Monday morning, compared with March 9, amounting to a contraction of 19.5 per cent. According to financial information platform [...]
Revolut poised to hit Natwest and Lloyds in deposit war March 20, 2026 Revolut’s long-awaited UK banking licence approval is set to trigger a “deposit war” that could hand a major blow to incumbent giants Natwest and Lloyds. The $75bn fintech juggernaut finally bagged its full-fat UK banking permit earlier this month after a four-year tussle with regulators. Analysts are expecting the move to send ripples across the [...]
Veyco and Entrust Deliver the First Integrated QES with Standards-Aligned Identity Verification for UK Property Transactions March 19, 2026 News summary Veyco and Entrust join forces to power Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) with AI-powered identity verification, enabling fully remote signing. The solution streamlines processes in a highly regulated environment, helping organizations to meet AML, KYC and eIDAS requirements. Following HM Land Registry’s acceptance of QES, Nationwide Building Society has become the first lender to enable electronically signed mortgage deeds.
UK job market weakens as economy set to worsen March 19, 2026 The jobs market failed to provide more positive signs for the UK economy as official data suggested that fewer postings were available for job seekers. An estimate published on Thursday showed that the number of payrolled employees dropped by 49,000 in February while data showed a small rise in January. The Office for National Statistics [...]
London luxury property market extends slump as Iran war knocks confidence March 19, 2026 London’s luxury property market continued its slump in February as market confidence took a hit from the Iran war just as it began to recover from last year’s Budget. There were 31 per cent fewer sales for prime properties – which defines those in the top five per cent of the market – this February [...]
Third of first-time buyers rely on bank of mum and dad March 18, 2026 Around a third of first-time buyers receive help from family and more than half rely on at least two full-time incomes, as access to first-time home ownership has collapsed this century. As many as 52 per cent of first-time buyers now rely on at least two incomes, up from just 40 per cent in the [...]
Iran war ‘heavily’ affecting property confidence, developer says March 13, 2026 Property developer Berkeley Group has said the Iran war is “weighing heavily” on market confidence and could push up inflation. The FTSE 100 firm told shareholders on Friday: “The emerging situation in the Middle East is weighing heavily on risk sentiment and we await to see the impact of this on the market.” “While reaffirming [...]
Savills shares slide as Middle East war shakes property market March 12, 2026 Shares in property giant Savills slid eight per cent as the Iran war shakes the confidence of the UK’s property market. The FTSE 250 firm’s share price fell by 7.98 per cent on Thursday to 922p, leaving the stock down six per cent in the year so far. Adam Vettesse, market analyst at eToro said [...]