In an interim management statement today, banking giant Barclays said profits climbed 5% in the third quarter – boosted by cost-cutting measures. For the three months to the end of September, the bank said pre-tax profits were £1.34 billion, versus £1.27 billion for the same period a year earlier. However, revenues for the three month […]
Mervyn King, the Bank of England’s Governor, has confessed that the latest round of stimulus is not guaranteed to boost lending to SMEs. The ongoing lack of credit to SMEs has been a major concern for the Government as these companies are the key to job creation in the UK and are expected to be […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in August. According to the Council, there were 52,000 loans advanced for house purchase (worth £7.9 billion) in the month – up from 48,700 (£7.2 billion) in July. The Council described today’s figures as “welcome signs of life” […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), which represents lenders who offer around 94% of all residential mortgage lending in the UK, has today reported UK mortgage lending grew in August. According to the Council, lending was 6% higher in August on a monthly basis, attributed to seasonal factors. The figures come after July saw a […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in June. According to the Council, there were 46,700 loans advanced for house purchase in the month – a rise of 22% compared with the previous month but 11% lower on an annual basis. However, despite the annual […]
Provisional figures released today have revealed that the UK’s five biggest banks are on track to meet their lending targets under the Project Merlin deal. Under the agreement, Project Merlin, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC and Santander all committed to lend £190 billion to all businesses this year. Of this figure, around £76 […]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has today unveiled a loss of £1.4 billion for the six months to the end of June. The bank, which is 84% owned by the taxpayer, said its exposure to the Greek debt crisis and costs relating to the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) pushed it into a […]
Nationalised lender Northern Rock Plc has today unveiled its results for the half-year. The crisis-torn bank, which was the first victim of the credit crunch, said pre-tax profits for the six months to 30 June totalled £68.5 million, against a loss of £142.6 million in the same period a year ago. However, lending was lower […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported a pick up in mortgage lending for the month of June. According to the Council, gross mortgage lending last month totalled £12.9 billion – this represented a 16% rise on a monthly basis but was 3% lower compared with June 2010. Meanwhile, the CML said mortgage […]
Persimmon, which is the UK’s largest housebuilder by market value, has today said it is encouraged by improved sales and a “modest improvement” in lending. It said it expects to market to pick up over the latter half of 2011 and expects prices to rise over the year. The company said it completed 4,439 homes […]
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has today revealed a further fall in the number of homes sold in May in the UK. According to HMRC, 68,000 homes worth at least £40,000 or more were sold in the month – 2,000 lower than the revised total of April and 3,000 lower when compared with May 2010. […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) today reported a rise in mortgage lending for the month of May. According to the Council, mortgage lending rose 12% in May compared with April as demand was boosted by the public bank holidays. Gross mortgage lending in the month totalled £11.3 billion, said the CML. The figure was […]
Speaking to the Treasury Select Committee today, Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned banks over lending, threatening higher taxes. The business secretary told MPs that the amount of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was a “serious problem” and has reminded banks of their targets, set out in the Project Merlin agreement. Under the […]
A survey by the Halifax has revealed many first-time buyers fear they will not be able to get on the property ladder. The survey of 4,000 non-homeowners found two-thirds believe home ownership is unattainable. Stricter lending criteria, which has resulted in lenders demanding large deposits, is deterring many would-be homebuyers, according to the survey. Almost […]
Figures published by the Bank of England today have revealed that the “big five” banks loaned £16.8 billion to SMEs in the first quarter – around £2 billion short of the £19 billion target – agreed under the “Project Merlin”. Under the agreement, Project Merlin, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC and Santander all […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) today reported a fall in mortgage lending for the month of April. According to the Council, mortgage lending fell to £9.8 billion last month, down 14% from £11.4 billion the previous month and 5% lower than the £10.3 billion a year earlier. The CML attributed the fall to the […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today said mortgage lending continues to remain weak, suggesting the housing market will remain subdued this year. According to the Council, gross mortgage lending for March was 2% lower in March on an annual basis. However, on a monthly basis, gross lending rose 21% to £11.3 billion, compared […]
There is some good news for the housing market after a Bank of England survey revealed mortgage availability is set to improve in the coming months. The survey comes as mortgage lending continues to remain subdued as first-time buyers, in particular, struggle to obtain a mortgage unless they have a substantial deposit. Since the credit […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today said mortgage lending continues to hover at low levels as the housing market remains subdued. According to the Council, gross mortgage lending for February totalled £9.5 billion – relatively unchanged from January’s figure. The CML said the housing market remained “stuck in a rut” and is likely […]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported mortgage lending plunged in January. Mortgage lending fell by 29% in January on a monthly basis, while lending was also 12% down on the year. There were just 28,500 approvals during the month – the lowest level since February 2009. The Council highlights that traditionally December […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
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 £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 £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 ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £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 £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 Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
