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: Money
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 falling steeply, says Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Downward slide evidence of faltering economic confidence, says group, but London house prices experiencing a ‘mini-boom’The early 2012 rebound in the housing market has run out of steam, according to Britain’s surveyors, who have reported price decline…
The overdue death of interest-only mortgages
As the door finally closes on interest-only mortgages, it is worth recalling how they can feed soaring property pricesBack in 1989 I foolishly bought my first property, a one-bed flat in a miserable part of south London. I borrowed as much as I co…
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…
Mortgage rates edge upwards
Fixed and variable rates have been increased by several lenders, so mortgage-hunters should look to grab a dealMortgage rates are creeping up, and whether you are sitting on your lender’s standard variable rate (SVR) or a homebuyer looking for a deal, …
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 …
Preventing another housing bubble must be Bank of England’s priority
Three boom-busts in 40 years are testimony to the failure of trying to control the housing market through interest rates aloneEaster is traditionally when the housing market comes out of hibernation – and if ever there were a time when it might be im…