October was a difficult month for first-time buyers according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Ten per cent fewer home loans were offered to first-time buyers compared with September and the average deposit they had to find was a hefty 20 per cent. In the current economic climate and with [...]
The CBI is calling for a radical rethink in the way house purchases are funded including allowing buyers to dip into their pension pot for the deposit on their first home. The number of first-time buyers fell from a high of 167,400 in 2001 to 36,200 in 2011 with unaffordable deposits and financial insecurity making [...]
The Co-operative Banking Group has announced that rates on its five-year fixed rate mortgages are being reduced by up to 0.90 per cent. The group is also withdrawing the £999 arrangement fee on its five-year products available exclusively to current account customers. Following the changes the group offers five-year fixed rates mortgages with rates ranging [...]
Figures from the Bank of England today have revealed credit card write-offs continue to rise. During the first three months of 2010, write-offs rose to £1.25 billion – the second highest quarterly amount on record. The situation has deteriorated in the recession as thousands of people have been unable to afford their repayments, due to [...]
Savers are finding it increasingly difficult to get a good return on their money, and many are opting to pay off debt rather than keep their savings in a bank account, Moneynet.co.uk has claimed. Andrew Hagger, spokesperson for the price comparison site, said at least a dozen best-buy savings deals have disappeared from the market [...]
The Post Office has launched a new range of mortgages targeted at first time buyers. Consumers can take out the new mortgage products with a deposit of just 10%. The two-year, three-year, and five-year fixed rate mortgages have interest rates between 5.45% and 5.99%. A tracker mortgage is also available at 5.49%. Marco Hughes, director [...]
Millions of homeowners across the UK have no idea what interest rate they’re paying on their mortgage, according to research by Post Office Mortgages, A poll by the lender found that while 35% of borrowers are currently on a standard variable rate (SVR) mortgage, 28% – around 3 million homeowners – don’t know what rate [...]
Low interest rates throughout 2009 have helped some people put more money aside into savings, a financial expert has claimed. Darren Cook, spokesperson for Moneyfacts.co.uk, said low interest rates have decreased mortgage payments for homeowners, increasing their disposable income, which can be used for savings. “If you look at people that had existing mortgages before [...]
First time buyers are being further squeezed out of the mortgage market with one of the UK’s biggest lenders pulling its 10% deposit products. Britannia, which merged with Co-operative Bank earlier this year, said it will no longer offer mortgages to borrowers with a 10% deposit. The news further diminishes the tiny number of lenders [...]
A Bank of England report has revealed that Britain’s banks and building societies are set to make more loans available to homeowners and businesses over the next quarter. The report also revealed that despite the tightening of lending criteria over recent times, credit availability to larger companies actually increased during the first three months of [...]
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), the number of homes changing hands has fallen to levels not experienced since their survey started in 1978. The organisation said the average number of property sales handled by surveyors across the country over the last three months plummeted to just 14.4 – the equivalent of [...]
Figures from Moneyfacts.co.uk have revealed that there are now 71% fewer mortgages available compared with this time last year. There are now 3,748 mortgage deals available compared with 13,027 mortgage products last August, according to Moneyfacts, showing what an impact the credit crunch has had on the housing market. Furthermore, the number of loans has [...]
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to meet bank chiefs for breakfast talks tomorrow at Number 10 to discuss the current housing market crisis. Last week, The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut interest rates from 5.25% to 5%. This is the third time since December that interest rates have been cut in an [...]
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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