Figures from Moneyfacts have revealed in the number of mortgage products. The credit crunch resulted in a tightening of lending criteria and mortgages have been hard to secure without a substantial deposit. However, the number of different mortgage products has risen to its highest level since November 2008, according to Moneyfacts, due to increased competition. [...]
First-time buyers (FTBs) are still struggling to get a foot on the ladder, despite a steep rise in the number of mortgage products available. Mortgage deals for those with a small deposit has doubled, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk, with more than 1,000 mortgages on the market for those with a 20% deposit or less. However, while [...]
Despite a rise in the number of mortgage deals on offer, a large deposit remains essential in securing a competitive loan, both for house purchasers and remortgagers. According to research by Moneyfacts Group for the BBC, the number of mortgage products available has risen 66% so far this year, to 2,351. However, the financial researcher [...]
Metro Bank, which aims to make banking a “fun retail experience” opens in Holborn, central London today. The bank is Britain’s first new high street lender for more than a century and it has pledged to return to “core banking values”. The bank said it will employ more cashiers than the existing “big four” banks, [...]
Savings experts have warned that a new Football Bond from Nationwide is a World Cup “gimmick”. Customers who take out the bond will he paid a bonus if England wins the World Cup trophy this summer. The four-year fixed rate bond pays 4.15% (AER) gross per year. If England win the World Cup, the interest [...]
Home buyers with a zero to 40% deposit currently have 1,798 mortgage deals to choose from, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk. Researchers at the financial website have registered a 6% rise in the number of home loans on offer in the past month, taking the total up 68% year-on-year. While those with 5% or less to put [...]
Consumers are increasingly taking the time to search out the best deals on personal loans and credit cards. Financial advice site Moneyfacts said since the onset of the credit crunch, Brits who need to borrow money are shopping around for the lowest interest rates. Darren Cook, Moneyfacts spokesperson, said: “The Bank base rate being maintained [...]
Dr Ros Altmann, a former Downing Street pensions adviser, believes there should be an inquiry into the profit margins of credit card companies. Dr Altmann, who is a former academic and independent expert on pensions policy and retirement, believes there might be a case for a regulator to oversee the rates they charge. Last week, [...]
New research has revealed that millions of credit card holders could face severe debts after card providers have put interest rates up to a 12-year high. The Bank of England’s base rate has been at the historically low rate of 0.5% for almost a year but despite this, average credit card interest rates have risen [...]
The value of the average pensions pot has plummeted 60% over the past decade, according to research by Moneyfacts.co.uk. The financial advice site blamed a combination of poor stock market returns and plunging annuity rates. During the same period, the average pensions income has fallen by almost three quarters. The pensions income of a male [...]
The UK’s mortgage market looks set to continue its recovery into 2010, with a 20% rise in the number of home loans available since the beginning of the year. According to Moneyfacts.co.uk, the surge has led to a 26% increase in deals offering up to 90% loan-to-value and therefore requiring the size of deposit accessible [...]
Newly retired pensioners on an annuity pension are receiving nearly half the income of those who retired 15 years ago, research has found. Annuity rates have hit record lows, plummeting by 45% since 1994. Annuities are used by people with defined contribution pensions, or personal pensions, to convert their savings into a retirement income. A [...]
New research from Moneyfacts shows that the UK’s mortgage lenders are becoming less scared of offering high loan-to-value (LTV) ratios. According to the price comparison website, the number of mortgages available to borrowers with a 10% deposit rose from 56 in August, to 114 in November. However, availability remains severely contracted when compared to the [...]
One in ten savers have had interest rates cut on their accounts in the past six months despite the Bank of England’s base rate being held, according to new research. A study by Moneyfacts found 10% of variable savings accounts are paying lower rates than they were in May. Only 3.5% of variable rate accounts [...]
Ecclesiastical Investment Management was named the Best Ethical Investment Provider at the 2009 Investment, Life & Pensions Moneyfacts Awards. Sue Round, EIM’s head of investments, said the company was “thrilled” to be awarded the accolade. “Not only does it reflect the excellent fund performance and high levels of client service we have achieved over the [...]
Consumers are using their spare cash to pay off debts rather than stashing it away in a savings account, Moneyfacts has observed. Michelle Slade, spokesperson for the consumer advice site, said many people are using money they’re saving due to low interest rates on mortgages to pay off personal loans and credit cards. Slade believes [...]
Yorkshire Building Society has launched a new five-year fixed-rate savings bond paying interest at 5.3% gross/AER. The building society also launched a three-year bond paying a fixed-rate of 4.65% gross/AER. Both bonds require a minimum investment of £100 and can be opened in branch, over the telephone, or online. Financial advice site Moneyfacts.co.uk said the [...]
Ethical investment funds have lagged behind the performance of conventional funds over the past 12 months, falling by an average of 16.7% Only three out of 60 ethical funds posted a positive return in the past year, research by Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts discovered. Looking back over three years presents an equally gloomy picture, [...]
In a further reshaping of the UK mortgage market, the maximum length of a fixed-rate deal is down to 15 years, following Manchester Building Society’s withdrawal its 30-year fix. Prior to the credit crisis, the Government was proposing to help lenders offer more affordable long-term fixed-rate products, which at the time were common in the [...]
Mortgage experts have been urging homeowners to opt for fixed-rate mortgages for weeks, to hedge against an inevitable rise in the base rate. However, new research from Moneyfacts shows that lenders are launching and withdrawing fixed-rate deals with almost indecent speed. Last month the average time scale for borrowers to secure a fixed-rate mortgage fell [...]
Fresnillo down on silver prices
European equities markets were lower Monday on the possibility that Greece could default soon and on speculation that Moody’s Investors Service could cut its rating on several big banks with holdings tied to Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63 percent to 5,129.62 in London, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.65 percent to 9,983.75 as [...]
IFS warns of tough times for UK households
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that households will be squeezed for the next decade as they suffer from the harsh spending cuts introduced by the Government. It said households are suffering one of the worst attacks on their finances since the Second World War and that the impact of [...]
ICB final report recommends ring-fencing
The Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
Tullow Oil leads 100 in London
European equities markets were significantly lower Friday on an increased possibility that Greece could default on its debt as soon as this weekend, raising the concern level over the European region’s debt problems and ratcheting up worries that the economic recovery is faltering. Additionally, markets reacted to the resignation of European Central Bank board member [...]
SMMT: UK car sales rise in August
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed UK car sales saw their first rise in 14 months in August. According to the trade body, car sales rose by 7.3% in August compared with the same month in 2010, with sales of smaller cars rising by more than 30%. The Ford Fiesta remained [...]
Factory gate inflation higher than expected in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices held steady in August – remaining at the highest annual rate since October 2008. According to the ONS, output prices (factory gate) annual inflation for all manufactured products held steady at July’s upwardly revised reading of 6.1% in August. The figures were [...]
US exports surge, Obama unveils jobs plan
The Commerce Department has revealed US exports hit an all-time high in July, while imports fell. According to official figures, exports surged 3.8% to $178 billion (£111 billion) after two months of declines. The rise in exports was attributed to strong overseas sales of manufactured goods, particularly to countries in Central and South America. Meanwhile, [...]
China’s inflation rate eases in August
Inflation in the world’s second largest economy eased last month after reaching a 3-year high in July. According to the National Statistics Bureau, consumer prices rose by 6.2% in August on an annual basis, compared with 6.5% the previous month. Several other economies throughout the world are battling with higher inflation, particularly in Asia, which [...]
Japanese economy continues to struggle
The Cabinet Office has today revealed the world’s third largest economy performed worse than originally thought in the April to June period. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 2.1% on an annual basis in the three-month period, compared with an initial estimate of 1.3%. The fall was attributed to a cut back on spending by [...]
Euro zone interest rates remain on hold
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today opted to leave interest rates unchanged at 1.5% - for the second consecutive month. Rates were lifted from the historic low of 1% in April and then raised further to 1.25% in July in a bid to curb rising inflation. Many major economies are battling with higher inflation, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Contact us
