Articles in the Mortgages Category
The Sub-Prime Mess Comically Explained
May 7th, 2008
If you’re wondering how we ended up with the credit crunch, following the problems with sub-prime mortgage lending in the US, then this funny set of slides might help you understand. Beware, there is some adult language, but it’s worth going through the full 40-odd images for a …
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Poll: How Much Of Your Income Is Spent On Your Mortgage / Rent?
May 4th, 2008
We’re all aware of the increasing prices of food, fuel etc., as well as the difficulty in finding low mortgage rates (despite the Bank of England base rate falling recently, we can blame the credit crunch for the tougher borrowing conditions).
One of the worries is that as these costs …
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HSBC Rate Matcher Mortgage Deal
April 9th, 2008
HSBC’s offer to match the mortgage rate that their rivals borrowers are on when their deals finish might seem like an exciting offer on the surface, certainly bucking the current trend of increasing mortgage rates and reduced mortgage choice. But their “Rate Matcher” deal doesn’t come without caveats.
The first, …
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Remortgaging? Watch Out For Arrangement Fees
November 29th, 2007
I mentioned in my previous post, about the effects on your mortgage with a change in interest rates, that you should get a mortgage broker to search the market and to find you a better deal if your current deal is about to expire.
Unfortunately, getting a new mortgage doesn’t …
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How Would A 1% Rate Change Affect Your Mortgage?
November 27th, 2007
According to a report by Nationwide, 75% of us couldn’t tell how much our mortgage payments would change if there was a 1% change (either increase or decrease) in its interest rate.
To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head. But why …
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The Credit Crunch Explained
November 22nd, 2007
Kirsten at the Simple Pound found an animation on FT.com which explains why the current “credit crunch” has occured.
I love these sorts of things - they can make understanding a complex problem much simpler.
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Innovative Mortgage Ideas For First-Time Buyers
November 15th, 2007
The Motley Fool has an article which gives some innovative mortgage ideas for first-time buyers.
It seems to be getting harder and harder for people to get their foot on the bottom wrung of the property ladder, so these sort of alternative mortgages are becoming more and more popular. If …
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A Million Pay Their Mortgage On Credit Cards
October 19th, 2007
One of the big personal finance stories of the week concerned a study by the charity Shelter, which suggested that over a million people in the UK have payed for their mortgage on their credit card in the past year. The survey questioned over a thousand people, of which 6% …
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Student Finance: More Reading
September 26th, 2007
If you’re interested in reading some more about student finance following my recent posts, The Telegraph has a couple of interesting articles looking at student money issues.
Firstly, Do Your Financial Homework As A Student looks at pretty much all aspects of money at university, including student bank …
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Good & Bad News From The Banks
September 13th, 2007
There’s been mixed news from the banks today which makes for some interesting reading.
Firstly, on the good side, if you’re a saver, savings rates have reached a massive 7% from some banks and building societies, with many having raised their interest rates on savings accounts in the last couple …
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