Building society follows RBS and NatWest’s lead, as mortgage and house price figures paint a picture of stabilityCoventry Building Society has become the latest lender to stop offering interest-only mortgages to borrowers, hot on the heels of RBS and N…
Posts Categorized: guardian.co.uk
Halifax Home Finder – consumer app of the week
A property search, house prices and mortgage rates all in one place – is this the ultimate homebuying/snooping app?App: Halifax Home FinderBy: The app was built by design company Grapple (which we wrote about here)Price: FreeAvailable on: iOS 4.0 or …
House prices take a tumble in April 2012
House prices fall 2.4% in April as Halifax warns of ‘challenging’ times ahead • House prices: what do the different indices show?House prices fell in April at their fastest rate for 20 months according to Halifax, knocking nearly £4,000 off the valu…
Repossession day in court: ten minutes with a lawyer, five before a judge | Jon Robins
Legally-aided advice desk at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch county court is a vital service for clients who may lose their homesThere is something Dickensian about repossession day in our courts. Recently I spent a day Clerkenwell and Shoreditch county cou…
Mortgage lending up 20% in February
Rise in first-time buyer numbers behind overall increase in lending for house purchases, CML figures suggestMortgage lending for house purchases was up by 20% year-on-year in February, but lenders said the increase may have been fuelled by changes to s…
‘Nation of renters’ warning from estate agency chief
Generation aged 18-34 risks being priced out of market unless government helps housebuyers, says head of CountrywideThe chief executive of the UK’s largest estate agent has renewed calls on the government to intervene in the housing market to prevent f…
Governments should help with mortgages to avoid prolonged slump
Rapid buildup of household debt during boom leads to deeper downturn when bubble bursts, World Economic Outlook arguesGovernments should step in to help struggling households write off part of their mortgages in the wake of a financial crisis to avoid …
Should I overpay the interest-only or repayment part of my mortgage?
Q I am trying to calculate the impact of paying off £20,000 of my mortgage. I owe £28,000 on a repayment basis and £30,000 on an interest-only basis, and the mortgage has 10 years left to run.I am planning to pay £10,000 off the interest-only porti…
How do my ex and I split an outstanding mortgage?
Q My ex partner and I – we were not married but co-habited for 23 years – drew up an agreement through mediation that we would split our house 55/45 on sale. It has now come to the agreed time to sell.He is maintaining that if I am getting 55% then…
Why is my mortgage lender charging me for using my own solicitor?
Q I am applying for a mortgage. I have appointed my own solicitor and my bank has told me they will charge me £160 plus VAT to do so. There would be no fee if I had used their appointed solicitor. I am confused as to what this charge is for. Am I obli…