Criteria for loans gets tougher September 30, 2010 SMALL businesses had more access to credit in the last quarter than any time this year but many companies remained wary of taking on debt, the Bank of England said yesterday. A survey by the Bank showed that demand for loans tailed off in smaller companies in the three months to the start of September. [...]
The crunch has made foreign dream homes far more affordable September 30, 2010 TOUGH economic times have opened the door for a new generation of property investment. Tumbling prices in both the UK and abroad have actually made this investment option more accessible than it was prior to the credit crunch. Nick Clark, managing director of the Property Investment Show, says: “House prices in England and Wales suffered [...]
Bank stocks drag on flat FTSE 100 September 29, 2010 WEAK banks dragged Britain’s top share index lower yesterday on persistent concerns over European debt, while drug stocks were also under pressure, offsetting strength from BP. The FTSE 100 closed down 9.17 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,569.27, having quickly surrendered an opening push above 5,600. Banks were the main drag on blue-chip sentiment, [...]
US property sales stabilising… September 23, 2010 SALES of existing homes in the US rose last month following a big correction in July, a new report said yesterday. The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the US trade body representing estate agents, said existing-home sales increased 7.6 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13m in August from an upwardly revised [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS September 23, 2010 LONDONERS WORRY ABOUT DEBT… R3, an insolvency trade body, has conducted research showing that 40 per cent of adults in the UK are anxious about their personal debt levels. Londoners are most affected: 49 per cent admitted being concerned. Nationwide, credit card debt is the source of the greatest worry at 51 per cent, followed [...]
US house prices at 6-year low September 22, 2010 US HOUSE prices fell 0.5 per cent in July to their lowest level in six years, official figures showed yesterday, heaping further woes on homeowners as the end of government-backed tax credits aimed at first time buyers began to bite. The US government had offered first time buyers a tax credit of $8,000 (£5,106) to [...]
Banks now dominating the mortgage market as building societies lose share September 21, 2010 Banks are dominating the mortgage market, findings by Datamonitor reveal. Outstanding mortgage balances grew by £145.6bn for banks while building societies saw balances shrink by more than £18bn. Datamonitor’s study of Competitive Dynamics in the UK Mortgage Market 2010 shows that the top six banks increased their share of gross lending to 85 per cent. [...]
Fund managers are seeking Brazilian market exposure September 21, 2010 ARE CIVITS the new BRICs? The emerging market acronym – BRICs – standing for Brazil, Russia, India and China has been cast aside for CIVITS, the latest buzzword for China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa. But rather than get excited by the new entries, some fund managers are chasing after the developing middle [...]
Borrowing at a 10-year low September 20, 2010 MORTGAGE lending in the UK hit a 10-year low in August falling to £11.4bn, down 14 per cent from £13.3bn in July, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said yesterday. The figure was also down six per cent from £12.1bn in August 2009 with the CML warning lending levels were likely to remain subdued until [...]
Mortagage lending falls in August September 20, 2010 Gross mortgage lending fell six per cent year-on-year in August to £13.3bn, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has said. That was the lowest August total since 2000 and represented a drop of 14 per cent from July. The figures chimes with other surveys in showing a cooling in the housing market following a sharp recovery [...]