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, [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported an increase in repossessions. According to the Council, lenders seized 9,100 properties in the January to March period – a rise of 15% on the previous quarter. However, it was 10% lower when compared with the same period last year. Experts have previously argued that many [...]
A leading credit rating agency has warned that government cuts and tax increases could result in a rise in repossessions across the UK housing market. According to Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the house price crash did not bring the average cost of a home in line with household incomes, and measures yet to be implemented [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined David Jones, Northern Rock’s former finance director, for the misreporting of mortgage arrears at the bank. The Watchdog has fined Mr Jones £320,000 and banned him from performing any function in relation to any regulated activity. The fine comes after former deputy chief executive, David Baker, and former [...]
The Government is to reduce funding for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, the BBC has reported. The scheme was set up in 2009 to help vulnerable homeowners in England facing repossession, by offering the following options. Government Mortgage to Rent is available to households on low incomes, with little chance of sustaining a mortgage, and involves [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published new rules aimed at protecting vulnerable customers in arrears on their mortgages. From 30th June, homeowners in arrears must be treated fairly by lenders and the following key areas have been confirmed: Firms must not apply a monthly arrears charge where an agreement is already in place to [...]
The number of homeowners who saw their properties repossessed by lenders fell to a two-year low in the first three months of 2010. New data from the Financial Services Authority put the total the number of repossessions at 10,500, down 11% on the final quarter of 2009. In addition, new mortgage arrears declined by 2%, [...]
New research from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) puts the number of homes in repossession in the three months to the end of June at 13,610, representing a 9% fall on the previous quarter. However, the figure is 23% up on the same period of 2008, although the regulator says the sharp rise in repossessions [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported that repossessions by first-charge mortgage lenders stood at 12,800 during the first quarter of 2009. The total includes buy-to-let loans but excludes instances where a “receiver of rent” has been appointed as an alternative to repossession. The figure compares with 10,400 repossessions in the final quarter of [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has reported a sharp rise in home repossessions and mortgage arrears. During 2008, lenders repossessed a total of 46,750 properties, up from 27,900 in 2007. Cases of mortgage arrears of three months and more rose 31% over the year, to 377,000. The increase accelerated during the final quarter with around [...]
The managing director of economic forecasting agency, Capital Economics, has predicted that mortgage repossessions could rise to 90,000 during 2009. Roger Bootle, a former chief economist of HSBC, made the gloomy forecast earlier this week, when delivering a speech at the Chartered Institute of Housing South East’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, in Brighton. He also [...]
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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
