Adverse credit mortgages are ‘big business’ says CML Of those people securing a mortgage in 2005, five per cent had suffered credit problems in the past, highlighting a worrying trend of so-called adverse credit lending, suggests the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
Spa towns are proving popular Property prices in Britain’s spa towns are higher than the regional average in all instances according to new research undertaken by Halifax Estate Agents.
Nationwide estimating a house price rise in 2007 Nationwide has estimated that during next year house prices will rise by between five and six per cent following 2006’s eight per cent rise by the year end.
Instances of IVAs will increase, says expert More people will turn to Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) in the next few years in a bid to manage their debts, according to the director of Thomas Charles and Co, providers of a confidential debt counselling service.
New mortgages launched by Woolwich Woolwich has introduced a new mortgage that is a combination of both fixed-rate and tracker mortgages in order to aid customers in the wake of the recent Bank of England base rate rise.
Card firms ‘interested’ in imposing charges Credit card customers could now face rising interest rates should they consistently fail to make their payments on time, new research from Defaqto suggests.
Extra Christmas cover offered by Tesco Tesco Home Insurance has declared that it is to spread the Christmas cheer in terms of rewarding its customers with the announcement that it will increase contents cover over the festive period.
Families persuaded to save by Scarborough In a move designed to encourage more families to save, Scarborough Building Society has introduced its new family savings account.
Mortgage approvals down in October The number of mortgage approvals during October decreased by nine per cent, says the Building Societies’ Association (BSA), possibly pointing to the effect of higher borrowing costs.
Reduced tax perks puncture investor demand The season to invest in new shares of venture capital trusts is almost upon us. However, demand for these tax-privileged investment funds is likely to slump this winter because of a reduction in their tax perks, a survey by a top tax advisory group indica
Social forces change the very fabric of house market Bubbling below the financial credentials of a buoyant economy are a wealth of social and demographic factors which are also providing significant support for house prices.
Parents will be able to roll Child Trust Funds into Isas Parents will be able to start building up Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) for their children from birth following an announcement by the government this week that it will soon be possible to roll Child Trust Fund accounts into Isas.
Tractor test shows rural commitment In 21st century Britain, country estates are snapped up by City bankers and other wealthy urbanites. A high-profile example is Marc Jonas, the founder of Punch Taverns and now a private equity executive, who this summer bought a 4,000-acre estate in Wilts
A hands off approach to absolute returns Investors who want exposure to spread bets and CFDs but do not want to shoulder the responsibility for the investment decisions can hand over their money to investment managers.
Buy-to-let beauties show their ugly side Large numbers of buy-to-let investors are having their properties repossessed and sold off at auction as growing numbers of property investors are unable to meet interest repayments.
Borrowers urged to prepare for another rise The Bank of England took no-one by surprise when it raised interest rates by a quarter point to 5 per cent this week. But banks may still not be quick off the mark to pass the rate rise on to savers.
Off-piste perils of owning a home in the snow Whether they fancy the thrill of racing down a black run themselves or just want to rake in a healthy rental yield, UK investors are piling into property in ski resorts across Europe and the US.
Industry draws up reforms to ward off annuity U-turn The pensions industry is lobbying the Treasury in a last-ditch effort to persuade the government not to axe Alternatively Secured Pensions, the new vehicles which allow investors to avoid purchasing an annuity at retirement.
Web puts private investors on par with professionals The internet has revolutionised share buying for the private investor, bringing instant access to an avalanche of free information. This proliferation of information is spurring growing armies of hobbyist investors who are making investment decisions with
Lenders give the green light to mortgages A derelict church or a new timber chalet might sound attractive to an adventurous homeowner but mortgage lenders have traditionally steered away from unconventional properties.
Crackdown on those working here and there Not many people feel sorry for City high-fliers earning six-figure salaries and often even bigger bonuses. But one place where this small but high-profile group is particularly unlikely to get much sympathy is HM Revenue and Customs.
City bonuses and foreign cash lead to mansion-mania First-time buyers may be scrambling for all the help they can get for a foothold on the property ladder but at the opposite end of the market the landscape looks remarkably different.
Court ruling says the days of tax exiles are numbered Accountants are reviewing the advice they give to tax exiles on how best to achieve the tax perks of UK "non domiciled" status in the wake of a groundbreaking court ruling this week.