Friday 16th April 2010

Mortgage approvals rise by 12% in February. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has revealed that the number of mortgage approvals increased by 12% in February compared to the previous month,it also reports the number of mortgage approvals has risen by 49 per cent in comparison to February 2009.

Thursday 8th April 2010

Bank of England keeps interest rate at 0.5% for the 13th consecutive month

Budget News

Stamp Duty holiday on properties worth upto £250,000 for first time buyers

Thursday 4th March 2010

Bank of England keeps interest rate at 0.5% for the 12th consecutive month

Wednesday 3rd March 2010

Banks must lend to aid mortgage market, expert says. There is pressure on banks to lend and they must do so, said Catherine Hearnden, director of financial advice firm MyMortgageDirect. She pointed out that increased loan-to-value mortgages are being offered, but buyers still require a deposit and face higher interest rates. Homebuyers must continue to be sensible with their finances and assess mortgage options carefully, the expert continued. Figures from the British Bankers' Association show that mortgage lending in January was relatively weak, with the winter weather blamed for the drop. Some 35,000 new mortgages were taken out, compared to 46,000 in December. The figure could also have been a reflection of the changes to stamp duty that came into effect at the beginning of 2010, meaning buyers made the most of the relief at the end of 2009.

Thursday 18th February 2010

The availability of mortgages is on the rise, providing a glimmer of hope for first-time buyers, figures suggest. The number of home loan deals on the market in the UK has jumped in the last month and the trend in lenders relaxing their criteria has continued. The number of deals on offer is up 20% compared with the start of the year, figures from financial information service Moneyfacts show. Some of these include deals requiring a relatively small deposit of 10%.

Thursday 4th February 2010

Bank of England keeps interest rate at 0.5% for the 11th consecutive month

Thursday 4th February 2010

House prices rise by another 0.6% in January compared with December 2009, according to the Halifax. The average UK home was valued some 3.6% higher in January 2010 than a year earlier, at £169,777.