Brokers have noticed a rising trend on mortgage rates and are blaming it on the current crisis in the eurozone. Woolwich, Halifax and Santander, Nationwide, ING and the Chelsea Building Society have all increased tracker mortgage rates recently, reversing this summer’s trend for rates to become more competitive. The Chelsea Building Society has increased the [...]
Lord Turner, the Financial Service Authority’s chairman, has said that as a result of increased regulatory control consumers are likely to face higher mortgage rates as costs are passed on. The FSA is now considering a number of new measures in order to avert any future banking crisis. The primary consideration is looking to increase [...]
Switerland’s central bank today cut its rate of interest to 0.5%, the fourth consecutive rate cut in three months, and a four year low. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) also warned that the oncoming recession facing the Swiss economy will be the worst since 1982. Deterioration on global economic markets and in the international finance [...]
Mortgage lenders have been ordered to pass on to customers yesterday’s 1.5% cut in the Bank of England’s base rate, to 3%. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, called leading lenders to a meeting early today and Prime Minister Gordon Brown is backing up the Treasury’s actions by stating that the Government is determined to [...]
The Bank of England (BoE) is attempting to thaw the frozen credit markets by introducing permanent liquidity schemes. Some aspects of the Special Liquidity Scheme (which allows banks to swap illiquid assets such as mortgage-backed securities for highly liquid assets such as Treasury bills) is to be a permanent fixture of the money markets. Furthermore, [...]
Some relief for mortgage interest rates could be in sight following the rescue packages for banks announced by Governments in Europe and the US, earlier this week. Libor, the rate at which banks lend to one another, has eased back slightly and three month Libor, a rate crucial to the UK mortgage market, has fallen [...]
Predictions that mortgage interest rates would rise in response to last week’s events on Wall Street are being fulfilled sooner rather than later. HSBC is increasing rates by 0.3% for borrowers with small deposits; interest on a two-year fixed-rate loan for a borrower with a 10% deposit will rise to 6.27% from tomorrow. However, for [...]
Financial news and price comparison website, Fool.co.uk, is urging homeowners who need to remortgage, to act quickly because competitive deals are likely to disappear. The firm has been watching Libor, the interest rate at which banks lend to one another and is predicting that mortgage rates will be on the rise again marking the end [...]
Woolwich, the mortgage lending arm of Barclays, is launching a new range of loans at up to 75% loan-to-value (LTV). The deals include a three-year fixed-rate mortgage at 5.84%, and a two-year fix at 5.99%. The lender is also providing new loans at a maximum LTV of 60% and with a £995 fee as follows: [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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