Rabobank profits fall by a quarter as lender hit with charges August 15, 2019 Pre-tax profit at the Dutch lender Rabobank fell by 26 per cent in the first half of the year, the company said today, after it was hit with impairment charges and struggled with low interest rates. Read more: Four lenders awarded £40m from RBS banking competition funds The figures Rabobank’s operating profit before tax dropped [...]
UK house prices suffer surprise July fall as housing market ‘treads water’ August 7, 2019 UK house prices continued to “tread water” in July as they slipped 0.2 per cent month on month, Halifax warned today. However, annual growth rose 4.1 per cent thanks to the housing market’s poor performance in 2018, the bank’s latest house price index found. Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax, said: “The average UK house [...]
Avoid these 8 financial mistakes in your marriage August 1, 2019 For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer – until death do us part. Sadly, with money fights being the second leading cause of divorce behind infidelity, many of us do not adhere to this marriage vow. Read more: What are banks doing to help survivors of financial abuse? Few individuals consider financial compatibility before [...]
Government urged to act to secure ‘home ownership dream’ July 31, 2019 The government has been urged to act to help first-time buyers as new forecasts revealed that by 2026 just a quarter of people aged between 25 and 34 will own their own home. A report by Santander found that home ownership within that age bracket will have dropped from 55 per cent 20 years ago, [...]
From energy to insurance: How Open Banking could fix the loyalty penalty headache July 29, 2019 You don’t get to be Prime Minister without having a few political gifts. One of Theresa May’s was her ability to spot the issues that people cared about – even if she found it harder to come up with effective ways of improving them. That was why her maiden speech outside Downing Street was so [...]
Metro Bank confirms £500m Cerberus loan sale talks July 22, 2019 Metro Bank shares rose more than three per cent this morning as the lender confirmed it is in talks to offload a portfolio of mortgages to a US hedge fund. The bank is reportedly preparing to sell £523m of buy-to-let mortgages back to Cerberus in order to strengthen its loanbook, after buying the mortgages off [...]
Metro Bank in talks to sell £500m of loans back to US hedge fund July 21, 2019 Struggling lender Metro Bank is set to sell £500m of mortgages back to US hedge fund Cerberus in a bid to shore up its capital position, according to Sky News. Read more: Metro Bank shares fall further amid boardroom bust-up In February 2018 Metro Bank bought £523m of buy-to-let mortgages, mainly made up of London [...]
Outgoing RBS boss Ross McEwan to take top role at National Australia Bank July 19, 2019 The outgoing head of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is taking the reigns as new chief executive of the National Australia Bank (NAB). Ross McEwan, a banking veteran who is set to step down from RBS by April next year, has been poached by the NAB as it looks to recover from a financial [...]
London house prices suffer worst plunge in 10 years July 17, 2019 London house prices suffered a staggering 4.4 per cent annual drop in May, their worst annual drop since the financial crisis, public data revealed today. While UK house prices rose 1.2 per cent compared to May 2018, London house prices sank, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed. Read more: UK house prices slip for [...]
A share in a housing nightmare? The problems with leasehold contracts and shared ownership July 10, 2019 The saga around leasehold contracts gets more complicated for buyers using the shared ownership scheme