Annual growth in banksa�� gross mortgage lending stood at A?7.6 billion in June, with the figure 11% lower than a year earlier, according to the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). Early signs of growth in the buy-to-let market were evident but both house purchase and remortgaging approvals continued to be weak, and with repayments still at […]
The UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by only 0.2% in the second quarter of 2011, following an increase of 0.5% in the preceding three months. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlights special events that could have curbed growth, including the additional April bank holiday, the royal wedding and the after effects of […]
The housing market in England and Wales is “in broad equilibrium” despite prices continuing to edge lower, according to Hometrack, which recorded a 0.1% fall in the value of the typical dwelling in July, compared with June. However, there are wide regional variations: prices moved higher across 8% of postcodes (primarily in London) and were […]
In its latest “Red Flag” report, Begbies Traynor highlights a 12% quarter-on-quarter rise in UK businesses with “critical” financial problems, while the number firms with “significant” problems fell away, indicating that many distressed companies made a one-way transition. At the end of June 2011, a total of 5,179 companies made up the insolvency specialist’s “critical” […]
The sluggish performance of the UK economy needs combating with another round of Quantitative Easing (QE), according to Business Secretary, Vince Cable. In an interview with The Financial Times, the minister identifies weak demand as a serious block to growth and urges the Bank of England to resume its QE programme, which was suspended early […]
A new report from a leading think-tank is predicting that UK house prices will fall by 4.5% in 2011, followed by an average 1.5% fall in each of the subsequent four years. According to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), this year’s decline will reflect the squeeze on household finances resulting from […]
Recovery of the UK economy is to remain sluggish, with GDP growing by 1.4% in 2011 and by 2% in 2012, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predicts. Growth this year will be constrained by government spending cuts and a squeeze on household finances resulting from higher taxes and rising inflation. According […]
The Bank of Englanda��s Monetary Policy Committee has voted to maintain the base rate at 0.5% in May, as widely expected. The Bank’s quantitative easing (asset purchase) programme will also be maintained at its current level of A?200 billion. The base rate has remained unchanged since March 2009, despite inflation running at 4%, double the […]
Latest figures from the Land Registry show house prices in England and Wales falling by 1.1% in March, marking the largest monthly decline seen since February 2009. The only region to experience a monthly rise was the North West, with an upward movement of 0.7%, while in Wales house prices tumbled by 3.3%, compared with […]
Lloyds Banking Group has been forced to set aside a huge sum of money to cover potential costs related to its mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The bank has made a provision of A?3.2 billion for contacting its PPI customers and making recompense where necessary. As a result it posted a A?3.47 billion loss […]
House prices in England and Wales were unchanged in April, with no price fall recorded for the first time in nine months, according to Hometrack. A 0.3% rise in London prices offset small falls of up to -0.3% across other regions, with just under a quarter of the country showing falls. The housing intelligence firm […]
UK house prices fell by 0.2% in April, leaving the value of the typical home down 1.3% on a year earlier, at A?165,609, according to Nationwide. The decline follows a monthly increase of 0.5% in March and the three-month-on-three-month measure, which is a better measure of the underlying trend, shows a modest year-on-year rise of […]
The UKa��s small and medium-sized manufacturers have seen the volume of orders at home and abroad grow at the fastest rate in 16 years, according to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) SME Trends Survey. Headcount increased for the third consecutive quarter as firms tried to keep up with demand, and output is expected […]
High Street sales remain sluggish, rising slightly in April compared with a year ago, but disappointing retailers’ expectations. According to the latest Distributive Trades Survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), only 12% of retailers reported “good” sales last month, while 35% said they were “poor”. However, many retailing sub-sectors saw a modest improvement […]
UK households face a typical A?780 drop in disposable income this year, the BBC has reported. A study by Deloitte, seen by the broadcaster, argues that tax rises, government spending cuts and higher commodity prices will force inflation above its current 4% level. The financial services firm therefore predicts that 2011 will see real earnings […]
Job vacancies in the UK’s private sector fell in April, according to the latest employment index from recruitment specialist, Reed. The month registered a 2% drop in opportunities, compared with March, reflecting slower growth in the banking and tourism sectors, although vacancies were up 22% on an annual basis. The year-on-year rise is due to […]
Low interest rates look set to continue, with the Governor of the Bank of England having warned that a�?massivea�? economic challenges faced by high levels of debt would only be worsened by rate hikes. Addressing the European Parliamenta��s Systemic Risk Board yesterday, Mr King said: a�?The economic consequences of high-level indebtedness now would become more […]
In its latest Red Flag Alert, Begbies Traynor reports a 15% increase in financial distress across all UK business sectors, with sectors dependent on discretionary spending suffering “particularly badly”. The recovery specialist’s survey for the first quarter of 2011 reveals that 186,554 firms are experiencing “significant” or “critical” financial problems, compared with 161,601 in the […]
The first of the March house price surveys shows the value of the average home up 0.5% during the month, to A?164,751, taking the annual rate of inflation to 0.1%. According to Nationwide, prices have now increased modestly in three of the past four months, with the three-month-on-three-month measure (regarded as a better indicator of […]
House sellers coming to market in February increased asking prices by 3.1%, compared with January, Rightmove reports. The typical home is currently for sale at A?230,030 or 0.3% more than this time last year, but the bulk of vendors could face disappointment in today’s “three-tier” market. The property portal warns that lenders are focused on […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was A?741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to A?12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The a�?Mind the Credit Gapa�? report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than A?50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes A?22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by A?22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was A?1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Companya��s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailersa�� sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wongaa��s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
First-time buyers take a decade to save for a deposit
Before the credit crunch it took first-time buyers two to four years to save up a deposit for a property but a quarter of first-time buyers now say it will take them at least ten years. In its latest Property Tracker report, the Building Societies Association (BSA) suggests that since September 2010 raising a deposit […]
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