UK mortgage approvals rose to more than two-year high before Budget November 29, 2024 UK lenders approved the most mortgages in more than two years last month as Britain’s housing market proved resilient ahead of the new government’s first Budget. Banks and building societies gave the green light to 68,300 loans for house purchase in October, according to data from the Bank of England. That figure is the highest [...]
UK housing market returns to growth as north outpaces south November 29, 2024 Zoopla has predicted positive house price growth in all regions and counties of the UK in 2025, with the north expected to outpace the south. The real estate platform has forecast sales growth at five per cent and house price growth at 2.5 per cent across the UK, with the fastest price increases in Northern [...]
Coventry Building Society to take over Co-op Bank in January November 28, 2024 Regulators have given the green light for Coventry Building Society to acquire The Co-operative Bank in January as consolidation sweeps through Britain’s mid-sized banking sector. The two lenders said on Thursday that the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority had approved the £780m deal, which was agreed in May. The takeover [...]
Forget Reeves’ CV – there’s a bigger transparency problem in monetary policy November 28, 2024 The real discussion shouldn’t be about whether Reeves deserves to call herself an “economist”. It should focus on the unchecked power of current central bank leaders, the far-reaching consequences of their decisions, and how we hold them to account, says Tim Focas The recent controversy over Rachel Reeves’ tenure as an economist at the Bank [...]
Nationwide banks £2.3bn gain from Virgin Money takeover as profit tumbles November 27, 2024 Nationwide has bagged a £2.3bn gain from its acquisition of Virgin Money, setting up a windfall for members of Britain’s biggest building society.
London rents rise again as Savills warns of double-digit UK increase November 20, 2024 Analysts have warned rents are being pushed to unsustainable levels amid another yearly jump and concerns there is no natural plateau in sight. The average UK private rent rose by 8.7 per cent in the year to October, up from 8.4 per cent in the year to September, according to the ONS. The increase was [...]
Lower interest rates not enough to rally consumer confidence November 18, 2024 After a steady climb throughout the year so far, consumer confidence dipped in November amid warnings it could continue to fall into 2025. Overall confidence fell from 47.3 in October to 46.9 in November, according to the S&P Global UK Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) survey. The neutral mark is 50. Chief business economist at S&P, [...]
Average price tag on a home falls as rate cuts spark demand revival November 18, 2024 According to Rightmove, the standard price for a newly marketed home currently sits at £366,592, a 1.4 per cent month-on-month drop.
Lloyds to replace senior staff’s union negotiations with ‘people forums’ November 13, 2024 Lloyds Banking Group is to stop recognising the trade union membership of some senior employees by replacing union negotiations with so-called “people forums”.
The real reason Britain doesn’t build November 11, 2024 Planning isn’t the only reason we have a housing shortage, too many developments just aren’t economically viable, says Melanie Leech The government is undoubtedly right to focus its efforts on reforming the planning system. Ask the anyone in the property industry and they will say that the system is complex, burdensome, under-resourced, and prone to [...]