Mortgage lending falls in August for the third month in a row September 29, 2014 The number of mortgages approved fell to 64,212 in August, down from 66,100 in July, data published by the Bank of England this morning showed. The figure fell below analysts' expectations of 65,000, suggesting the housing market is cooling faster than thought. Does this mean Bank of England governor Mark Carney's Mortgage Market Review is [...]
London Report: Housing market stalls and GDP is re-evaluated September 28, 2014 HOUSING data showing fewer mortgage approvals and only modest price increases looks set to show that the UK’s booming property market is finally slowing. Bank of England figures out today are forecast to show that mortgage approvals fell to 66,000 in August from 66,569 in July and 67,085 in June. The numbers are well below [...]
Struggling to get a mortgage? Try to nab a new job at KPMG September 24, 2014 In the week that we found out (or merely had it confirmed) that London is the most expensive city to relocate staff to, KPMG has stepped in to save the day – for its employees in any case. The City firm announced yesterday it would be helping its staff on to the property ladder with [...]
Get more for your money when buying overseas September 24, 2014 With summer at an end and autumn closing in you might understandably be dreaming of owning your own place in the sun. And now could be the time to buy. With the pound’s strength against the euro and property prices in both France and Spain still relatively low, your budget might go further than you [...]
Boom halts as mortgage loans slow in August September 23, 2014 THE BOOM in mortgage lending ground to a halt in August as lending volumes slumped to a 12-month low, industry data showed yesterday. A total of 41,588 loans were given out last month, according to the British Bankers’ Association. Lending by value is still up by 15 per cent on the year to £11.1bn, but analysts believe [...]
Get more for your money when buying overseas September 23, 2014 An expert foreign exchange service can help make your money go further on the overseas property market With summer at an end and autumn closing in you might understandably be dreaming of owning your own place in the sun. And now could be the time to buy. With the pound’s strength against the euro and [...]
No more UK house price bubble? Mortgage approvals fall to a 12-month low in August September 23, 2014 This could be the end of the house-buying frenzy of early 2014. New mortgage approvals hit their lowest since September last year in August, figures by the British Banking Association showed today, with just 41,588 new mortgages approved during the month, down from 42,715 in July, and 14.1 per cent lower than January's 76-month high [...]
Aldermore boss Phillip Monks says he doesn’t want to pay dividends September 22, 2014 If you go to the big banks’ annual general meetings you can be sure to meet angry investors. They turn up every year to complain that dividends are too low or even non-existent, and the banks’ managers are failing to provide the returns they need on their savings. So Aldermore’s boss Phillip Monks might be [...]
Rodney Cook interview: Just Retirement rides out annuity storm September 18, 2014 In February this year, crisis management experts visited Just Retirement’s Surrey head office to give senior executives a crash course in coping with the unexpected. Managers didn’t have to wait long to put that advice to use. When George Osborne announced sweeping changes to pension arrangements within the March Budget, allowing retirees to withdraw their [...]
London rent prices hit record high as new mortgage loans keep climbing September 18, 2014 London rents hit a record high of £1,161 on average last month, according to figures out today from LSL Property Services. Monthly rents in the capital climbed three per cent on the year – an increase which was ahead of wages, intensifying the pressure on tenants. Across England and Wales, the average rent increased by 2.4 [...]