Public Bank bailout was justified says NAO

December 14, 2009 No comments yet

The National Audit Office has concluded that the £850bn of public support provided to UK banks by the Treasury was justified, given the scale of the economic and social costs if one or more major banks had collapsed.
In providing that support, moreover, the Treasury met two of the government’s principal objectives: protecting depositors’ money in [...]

Average two year fixed rate falls to lowest since June

November 23, 2009 No comments yet

The average two year fixed rate has fallen to 4.99%, the first time it has been below 5.00% since 23 June 2009.  A string of rate rises during July saw the average quickly rise, peaking at 5.21% by the end of the month, reveals Moneyfacts.co.uk
However, the reduction in rates, taking nearly four months has not [...]

Property experts demand change on Stamp Duty

November 16, 2009 No comments yet

Industry heavyweights have added their support to the 1808 Coalition, set up by the National Association of Estate Agents [NAEA] and the Association of Residential Lettings Agents [ARLA] to campaign for the Government to modernise Stamp Duty.
1808 Coalition partners are:

Association of Mortgage Intermediaries [AMI]
Association of Residential Lettings Agents [ARLA]
Building Societies Association [BSA]
Council of Mortgage Lenders [...]

House Prices up 2.8% in Autumn

October 19, 2009 No comments yet

Largest October rise for six years as balance of power continues swing towards new sellers, pushing average Autumn asking prices up by 2.8% [£6,188], according to Rightmove’s October House Price Index.
95,000 fresh stock, down 36% on 2007, including 22,000 stamp duty exempt sellers looking to cash-in before buyer incentive ends in January, with now being [...]

Call for lenders to resume normal risk-based lending

September 21, 2009 No comments yet

Call for lenders to resume normal risk-based lending and to increase loan to values (LTVs) to encourage first time buyers back into the market and avoid stagnation.
Make no mistake, first time buyers hold the key to building the momentum behind a sustainable recovery.  However, that will never happen if lenders do not step up to [...]