Mortgage market still failing to understand freelancers

The mortgage market has yet to fully adapt to the growth of freelance and self-employed working, according to Many Hands Mortgages. The East London brokerage said many freelancers continue to approach the homebuying process expecting difficulties, despite often earning...

Latest news

AR market consolidates as revenues rise despite fewer principal firms

The UK's appointed representative market is becoming more concentrated, with fewer principal firms overseeing a largely stable number of representatives while revenues continue to...

Hodge broadens property lending criteria across residential ranges

Hodge Bank has expanded its property lending criteria, widening access to mortgage finance for borrowers purchasing a range of more complex property types. The specialist...

GCC searches for UK homes rise 16%

Searches for UK residential property from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) investors increased by 16% during the first quarter of 2026, latest data from Nomo...

Hidden costs top Gen Z homebuying fears as millennials focus on repair bills

First-time buyers’ concerns are shifting significantly by age, with younger buyers focused on upfront costs and affordability, while older purchasers increasingly worry about the...

Shepherds Friendly appoints Laura Gauden as head of sales

Shepherds Friendly has appointed Laura Gauden as head of sales as the mutual seeks to expand its intermediary distribution partnerships. The Manchester-based mutual society, which is celebrating its bicentenary year, has appointed Gauden to lead its sales function and...

Barclays cuts mortgage rates across residential and buy-to-let ranges

Barclays is reducing rates across a broad range of residential and buy-to-let mortgage products from 24 June, with cuts of up to 36 basis points and the launch of new fixed-rate and offset products. The lender has announced widespread...

ModaMortgages removes fees on limited-edition buy-to-let products

ModaMortgages has removed application fees from its limited-edition buy-to-let mortgage products, weeks after reducing rates across the range. The lender said application fees have been scrapped on its limited-edition two-year and five-year fixed-rate products, meaning borrowers using those deals...

West Brom cuts rates on high LTV mortgages for homebuyers

West Brom Building Society has reduced rates across a number of higher loan-to-value mortgage products, including deals aimed at borrowers with smaller deposits. The mutual has lowered pricing on both its 90% and 95% loan-to-value (LTV) purchase products as...

PROFILE

Steve Caruthers on understanding how lenders operate

Last year mortgage technology specialist Fignum appointed Steve Carruthers as growth director, signalling its intent to scale its operations and deepen its role as...

INDUSTRY COMMENT

AI for brokers: the three lines you should never cross

Most AI advice aimed at advisers is either breathless hype or vague caution. Here is something you can actually act on: a practical way...

Hobson’s Choice: Which root canal treatment would you prefer, Sir?

Now that Andy Pandy from ‘oop norf’ is de facto the Prime Minister elect and will shortly be choosing the colour scheme of No...

Buy-to-let: reality versus a much-peddled narrative

Every few months, it seems, another report emerges suggesting buy-to-let no longer stacks up as an investment proposition. The headlines are often dramatic, the...

A week of progress and reassurance

The past week has brought further reassurance for borrowers. With the Bank of England holding the base rate as expected and inflation remaining steady...

ABS 2026 review: Economic factors stemming growth

As the Global ABS conference ended there was no doubt that it was a huge success, with official numbers being confirmed at 5,500 attendees,...

Government support is fundamental to market growth

We’ve seen another week of mainstream lenders reduce their rates with more reductions predicted this coming week. This shows more comfort and confidence around...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

HSBC cuts rates across residential and buy-to-let mortgage ranges

HSBC UK is reducing rates across a wide range of residential and buy-to-let mortgage...

The Dudley cuts rates across residential, buy-to-let and expat ranges

Dudley Building Society has reduced rates across its residential, buy-to-let and expat mortgage products,...

Gatehouse launches limited-edition HPPs and cuts selected BTL rates

Gatehouse Bank has introduced a range of limited-edition Home Purchase Plan and buy-to-let products...

Zephyr Homeloans reduces buy-to-let fixed rates by 15bps

Zephyr Homeloans has reduced all fixed rates across its buy-to-let mortgage range by 15bps,...

Vida widens SPV criteria for buy-to-let landlords

Vida Homeloans has expanded its buy-to-let lending criteria to support a wider range of...

The Mortgage Works backs landlord EPC compliance pilot with Eco Approach

The Mortgage Works has partnered with retrofit specialist Eco Approach to provide free energy...

TML expands buy-to-let range with limited-edition products and rate reductions

The Mortgage Lender has launched a new range of limited-edition buy-to-let products and reduced...

Molo cuts buy-to-let and semi-commercial rates by up to 30bps

Molo has reduced rates across its UK resident buy-to-let and semi-commercial mortgage ranges, with...

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

Stamp Duty burden soars as tax threshold remains frozen at 2006 level

The Stamp Duty threshold at which homebuyers begin paying tax has remained unchanged since 2006, despite average house prices in England rising by 84% over the same period, according to analysis from Coventry Building Society. The £125,000 nil-rate threshold was introduced in 2006 and, while...

Bank holds rates at 3.75%

The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 3.75% today despite inflation remaining...

First-time buyer demand remains resilient as borrowing requirements rise

First-time buyers continue to pursue homeownership despite affordability challenges, with mortgage search activity remaining...

Gen H cuts high loan-to-value mortgage rates by up to 20bps

Gen H has reduced rates across its higher loan-to-value mortgage range, with the largest...

Manchester leads decade-long house price boom as London lags

Manchester has recorded the strongest house price growth of any major British city over...

OPINION

Bridging is a natural fit for a Shariah-compliant bridging provider

The UK bridging market is, in many ways, a natural fit for Shariah-compliant finance because both are fundamentally built around real assets, partnership structures...

Why relationships are becoming the mortgage industry’s most valuable asset

Information has never been more accessible, yet confidence in financial services remains relatively low....

Before brokers invest in AI, they need to ask the right questions

AI has moved quickly from industry talking point to commercial priority. For mortgage brokers,...

Cutting stamp duty will make the housing crisis worse

Every time the housing market stalls the same thing happens and people call for stimulus, this time: abolish stamp duty. The logic feels intuitive - reduce a transaction cost and you free up movement, encourage activity, help buyers onto the ladder. Politicians reach for it....

Halfway through the year, are you getting enough from every client?

The halfway point of the year is always a useful time for advisory firms to take stock, not least because it is often far...

DISTRIBUTION

Nomo joins Paradigm panel to expand access to GCC property investors

Shariah-compliant property finance provider Nomo has joined the lender panel of Paradigm Mortgage Services,...

L&G Mortgage Club appoints key relationship manager

L&G Mortgage Club has appointed Gurpreet Chahal as key relationship manager to support broker...

Fintel chair and TMG chief rescue Rotherham United Women

Rotherham United Women Football Club has been rescued from the brink of extinction after...

FCA warns firms as fake communications continue to rise

The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a fresh warning to firms after uncovering a...

Afin Bank expands broker reach with L&C Mortgages panel appointment

Afin Bank has added L&C Mortgages to its broker panel as it looks to increase access to its specialist lending products for borrowers who fall outside mainstream criteria. The lender, which specialises in serving customers who are often underserved by high street providers, will make...