House sales surged by more than two-thirds in September October 21, 2021 There were 160,950 residential transactions last month, considerably higher than last year, but the market is expected to slow following the stamp duty holiday stimulus. The provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK home transactions in September was up 68.4 per cent on September 2020, according to HMRC figures. There was a 67.5 per cent leap [...]
Not just NatWest: Compliance guru on why money laundering is rampant in the City October 21, 2021 Over the past few decades, money laundering has become an increasingly prevalent issue. Financial institutions are constantly looking for new ways to fight money launderers, and several anti-money laundering policies have been put in place to help this effort. However, the recent case against NatWest sent shockwaves through the City, with many financial institutions realising that the financial watchdog, [...]
UK banks’ earnings season is tough one to call October 20, 2021 Wall Street’s biggest banks have reaped the rewards of a booming deal environment, the release of loan loss reserves and swelling deposits. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and JPMorgan all flexed their muscles as they kicked off US earnings season last week. Now, it is the turn of their British pretenders, starting tomorrow with the [...]
Energy efficiency requirements may slow housing market October 19, 2021 The housing market may be stalled by government plans to require buyers to improve their new homes’ emergency efficiency under their mortgage terms. Property Mark, the trade body that represents letting agents, said the requirements – which have yet to be set out in detail – could initially deter people from moving homes. Mortgage lenders [...]
Energy efficiency requirements may slow housing market – CityAM : CityAM October 19, 2021 The housing market may be stalled by government plans to require buyers to improve their new homes’ emergency efficiency under their mortgage terms. Property Mark, the trade body that represents letting agents, said the requirements – which have yet to be set out in detail – could initially deter people from moving homes. Mortgage lenders [...]
4.5x borrower’s earnings: ‘Risky mortgages’ rising fast, mostly in Wandsworth, Walthamstow and Croydon October 18, 2021 South London is the UK’s hotspot for high-risk mortgages – with more than 6,300 mortgages written at 4.5 times the borrower’s earnings or higher in the last year, according to new research shared with City A.M. this morning. Bank of England guidance says mortgages are considered ‘high-risk’ if they are lent at 4.5 times the [...]
Back to 2007: UK house prices rise for every region and buyer type October 18, 2021 It’s a full house for the UK home buying market, with property prices rising last month in every region of the UK, London included, and for buyer types ranging from first-timers to those at the wealthiest rungs of the property ladder. In London, the average property price hit £650,683, up another 1.9 per cent on [...]
How challenger banks are revolutionising the sector October 15, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Three expert CAs tell Karam Filfilan how a new wave of challenger banks are helping to revolutionise the sector, both for consumers and businesses. Read October’s CA magazine now Digital transformation has revolutionised the banking sector over the past decade. Gone are the days of neighbourhood bank branches [...]
City rejects looming interest rate rise: ‘Old Lady should adopt Maradona theory’ October 14, 2021 Markets are increasingly betting that the Bank of England will raise interest rates before Christmas to contain spiralling inflation. The shift came after two of the Old Lady’s most senior officials gave the strongest signal yet that the central bank is ready to choke off inflation. Strengthening predictions over a looming rate hike triggered a [...]
House prices: Value of homes in Kensington and Chelsea alone same as whole of Wales October 14, 2021 Homes across Britain have added £49,257 to their value over the past five years on average, according to a property website. The total value of homes has risen by 20 per cent – or £1.6 trillion – in the past five years, Zoopla said. More than a third (£550bn) of the £1.6 trillion increase has [...]