After the Brexit vote came in towards the end of June, everyone has been watching and waiting to see what the immediate effects might be. One area of particular interest has been the base rate the rate that directly affects the interest rates applied to mortgages, not to mention bank and savings accounts too. Last … Continue reading “Rise or Fall: Where Are the Mortgage Rates Heading Next?”

Data gleaned from the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker makes for interesting reading. Most surprisingly, less than a third of people currently meeting mortgage payments are worried about the potential for future rises in interest rates. The data reveals just 29% of participating mortgage holders aged 16 and over are concerned about this factor. … Continue reading “Rising Interest Rates Not a Concern for Majority of Homeowners”

Spanish banking giant Santander became the first major high street bank operating in the UK to demand a 50 per cent deposit from homeowners looking for an interest-only mortgage. This means that anyone applying for such a mortgage will need to put up 50 per cent equity in their property before their application is considered. … Continue reading “Santander Demands 50 per cent Equity for Interest-Only Mortgages”

Mortgage lending has been strong at Santander lately, and this in turn has led to an increase of 13% with regard to their UK profits. The boost saw their profits increase to £532 million across the first three months of the year. While Santander is not among the so-called Big Four high street banks, it … Continue reading “Santander Sees Profits Soar Thanks to UK Mortgage Lending Rise”

An increase in remortgages offset an overall drop last year in the number of mortgages agreed in Scotland, new figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Scotland. There was a 7 per cent fall in the number of Scottish mortgages agreed, with 44,500 being completed in 2011, the CML said, although there was … Continue reading “Scottish Mortgages Fall in 2011 Although Remortgages Increase”

The news is filled with articles, polls and potential outcomes regarding the forthcoming Scottish referendum. In little over a week the Scottish people will be asked whether or not they want their country to become independent from the rest of the UK. One thing is apparent at the moment and that is the fact there … Continue reading “Scottish People Could Have Pricier Mortgages if They Say Yes to Independence”

Self build mortgages are available from a wide range of lenders with varying deals being offered from mortgage companies: some will lend you funds in advance of your land purchase and the start of the build, others may offer more completive deals in terms of fees and interest rates but they may only release cash … Continue reading “Self Build Mortgages”

Although self cert mortgages in the residential mortgage market are no longer available, we still get daily enquiries for them. Usually the enquiry comes in a familiar format and depending on the type of enquiry depends on whether a new mortgage deal would be available. I’m self-employed, can I self-certify my income? We have numerous … Continue reading “Why A Self Certified Mortgage Is Not Always The Only Option?”

With the demise of the self cert market we get a lot of calls from recently self employed clients that are looking to find out what type of mortgages are available in the current market place. There are at least 3 lenders who operate in this market place as long as one has a reasonable … Continue reading “Self Employed for 12 Months Only? Residential Mortgages Still Available”

The Virgin Money Takeover of Northern Rock Background Since Northern Rock established as a bank back in 1965, as a merger between two of the North Easts Building Societies, it has really struggled to gain itself a respectable reputation when it comes to customer services and offering its customers an engaging range of mortgage deals … Continue reading “Service Improvements at Northern Rock”