More UK home buyers are using cash to seal deal June 3, 2015 A RECORD high proportion of homes were sold without the need for a mortgage during the first three months of year, a major mortgage provider said yesterday. The share of cash purchases in the housing market reached an all-time high of 38 per cent in the first three months of the year, according to Nationwide. [...]
UK house prices: The proportion of house buyers shunning mortgages for cash purchases has hit a record high June 3, 2015 More people than ever before are buying houses without the need for a mortgage, according to new figures. Almost four in 10 people (38 per cent) paid for their properties in cash during the first quarter of the year, Nationwide has said. This mitigated subdued mortgage lending data to some extent. There are signs that [...]
UK house price growth slows to lowest rate in over a year June 3, 2015 UK house price growth slowed in May, with the annual growth rate slowing to an annual rate of 4.6 per cent in May – down from 5.2 per cent in April and the lowest rate since August 2013. The figures The average cost of a house in the UK now stands at £195,166 – the [...]
Mortgage approvals jump in April June 2, 2015 THE NUMBER of mortgage approvals granted for new homes in April shot up at its fastest rate since 2009, but lending to firms is struggling to gain momentum. There were 68,076 mortgages granted for house purchase in April, the Bank of England said yesterday. It marked a 9.9 per cent jump on March’s 61,945. “One [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage approvals have their biggest spike since April 2009 June 2, 2015 The number of mortgages granted in April for new homes grew at its fastest rate since April 2009, according to data from the Bank of England. The figures Some 68,076 mortgages were granted in April for house purchase, compared with 61,945 in March – an increase of 9.9 per cent – the biggest monthly percentage change [...]
Mortgage lending expected to rebound after pre-election drop May 27, 2015 THE MORTGAGE market slowed in the run up to General Election, according to figures released yesterday by the Council for Mortgage Lenders. London house purchase lending totalled £2.4bn in the first three months of the year, a drop of 16 per cent compared with the final three months of 2014. Housing market experts expect an [...]
First Libor case with ex-UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes comes to trial at Southwark Crown Court today May 26, 2015 The first criminal trial over allegations of conspiracy to rig the Libor benchmark interest rate will start in London court today. Tom Hayes, a former trader at banks UBS and Citigroup, will appear at Southwark crown court charged with eight counts of conspiring to rig the Libor rate. Hayes previously pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy [...]
Rise in house building insufficient May 21, 2015 THE NUMBER of houses being built in the UK is climbing, but experts are warning that it needs to pick up further if affordability is to improve. Builders began work on 40,300 new houses in the three months ending a March, according to figures published yesterday by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Housing [...]
Investec sell-off helps company focus on future May 21, 2015 ANGLO-South African finance group Investec yesterday said it was in the best shape for a decade, after clearing the decks of old businesses and boosting performance at its money management arms. The company, listed in London and Johannesburg, said the reduction of its UK and Irish mortgage business and banking venture in Australia was helping [...]
Co-op Bank says it is on track to meet Bank of England targets May 20, 2015 The Co-operative Bank said in a first-quarter trading statement yesterday that its turnaround plan is on track. The bank is undergoing changes to de-risk its balance sheet and meet revised deleveraging targets as set by regulators after the Bank of England stress tests last year. The bank completed a £1.5bn residential mortgage securitisation earlier this [...]