Mortgages Articles: News, Guides & Advice

The average property is worth almost nine percent less than it was last year, the lender claimed today.

The Bank of England has kept its rate at five percent for the fourth month in a row.

A recent drop in inter-bank lending rates has allowed some firms to offer customers cheaper mortgages, it has emerged.

The number of Britons proving unable to pay for their mortgages is on the up, according to the financial regulator.

The government is heading for a big shortfall in stamp duty - making plans to suspend it may be less financially painful than expected.

The levy might be temporarily scrapped in a bid to stimulate the mortgage market, the chancellor suggested today.

The troubled bank is forseeing a rapid rise in those whose mortgage value will exceed that of their home.

Home repossession has forced some families in to taking extreme measures to find shelter, it has been reported.

The new packs are being ordered late by estate agents, due in part to sellers' resistance to spending the £400 required to purchase them.

Prices will drop by up to ten percent over the next year, according to mortgage intermediaries.

The ninth monthly drop in a row has been marked on a lender's house price survey.

Rent yields are bearing up as tenant demand increases, the buy to let mortgage specialists have said.

Sir James Crosby's investigation into the UK mortgage market has been welcomed by lenders and estate agents alike.

The Spanish-owned home loans provider has overtaken HBOS, new market share figures show.

Fewer and fewer people are taking out home loans, according to the Bank of England.

Banks will be allowed to trade a greater variety of devalued financial instruments, the report recomments - a move which would boost the mortgage market as a whole.

The Land Registry and the NHF have both released new studies, looking in to house price trends.

A consortium including JPMorgan might soon acquire the UK's biggest lender.

Stamp duty should be eliminated for first-time buyers in order to boost the market as a whole, the agents said yesterday.

A new low in mortgage approvals has been marked by a monthly survey from banks.

Banks, independent financial advisors and estate agents are effectively failing mortgage customers, it has been alleged.

Mortgage firms must help out in the war against corrupt brokers, the financial watchdog has said.

Homes could be becoming more affordable to those who do not yet own property, estate agents have said.

A mortgage firm has decided to reduce loans for some customers by eight per cent - in order to encourage redemptions.

Houses in the market town of Beaconsfield have an average value of £704,724 with properties in similar areas also attracting high prices.

One expert has suggested that house prices in the UK and the US will continue to fall for the next two years.

Mortgage lending fell last month, with experts expecting the trend to continue for the remainder of the year.

TV shows such as Sarah Beeny's Property Ladder inflated the house price bubble, which burst last year in the credit crunch.

The mortgage market is set to benefit from fresh rate reductions - as the sector continues to enjoy positive sentiment stemming from the takeover of Alliance & Leicester.

New home-building and "rent then buy" initiatives were unveiled today by housing minister Caroline Flint.

A new plan to shift hard-to-sell financial instruments from banks' balance sheets has been unveiled by mortgage lenders.

Buyers are in a new position of strength due to the continuing woes of the housing sector, surveyors have indicated.

Yet more bad news for homeowners looking to sell up as house prices fall another 2%.

The lender confirmed today that it will be bought out in a £1.25 billion deal.

A majority of mortgage brokers banned by the FSA this year is located in an area of east London, an investigation has shown.

America's two largest mortgage lenders are to receive public backing, due to concerns over their balance sheets.

Some lenders have taken the initiative and reduced rates, after the Bank failed to implement its own reduction to the base rate of interest.

Despite the well documented fall in house prices, first time buyers are still struggling to get on to the housing ladder - with some couples having to save an entire year's pay just for a deposit.

Britain's biggest lender, Halifax, now claims that the average house price is six per cent lower than it was last year.

A mortgage with a record breaking arrangement fee of up to £137,500 was launched today by mortgage broker John Charcoal.

A leading figure in the house building industry has said the housing market looks set to experience a worse crash than that of the early 1990s.

Couples who have split up are still physically having to stay together as they are finding it impossible to sell their jointly owned homes.

The decline in the value of houses in the UK will be welcomed by first time buyers, it has been claimed.

The chancellor has suggested that a new tax-free savings scheme could be put in to place to help first time buyers save for a deposit.

The mortgage market is still showing signs of a slowdown, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

A shift in power has taken place in the property market, it has been suggested.

Increasing numbers of people are exercising the option to switch to interest-only repayments for a limited period.

Despite the recent housing gloom, the lender has announced reductions to some of its tracker deals.

The average monthly cost of mortgage repayments in the UK have risen by 78 per cent over the past five years, an accountancy firm said today.

The mortgage market in the UK could be put under further financial strain by recently-announced troubles at some of the UK's biggest new home builders.