Mortgage fraud rises across every category

Mortgage-related fraud increased across every category tracked by Cifas during the first half of 2026, prompting calls for firms to strengthen digital identity verification throughout the homebuying process. The Fraudscape six-month update recorded 691 false mortgage applications between January...

Latest news

Stamp duty and community ties stall downsizing

Nearly three in five over-65s have considered downsizing but stamp duty, family ties and a shortage of suitable homes are preventing many from moving,...

Fairfax steps down as Catalyst CEO

Catalyst Property Finance founder Chris Fairfax is stepping down as chief executive following the specialist lender’s integration into Foundation Group. Fairfax, who launched Catalyst in...

West One adds 6.5x LTI residential tier

West One has expanded its residential mortgage and Extra second charge ranges with higher maximum loan sizes, broader automated valuation model (AVM) criteria and...

Barclays cuts residential rates by up to 50bps

Barclays will reduce rates across its residential purchase, remortgage and existing-customer ranges from Friday 7 August. The largest reductions apply to two 10-year fixed purchase...

Advisers tip general insurance for growth as client demand shifts

Almost one third of financial advisers expect general insurance to be their biggest area of business growth over the next 12 months, according to Paymentshield. The insurer's 2026 Adviser Survey found that 30% of respondents ranked general insurance ahead...

Right to Buy sales surge 90%

Right to Buy sales in England increased by 90% during 2025-26 as prospective buyers moved ahead of proposed reforms to the scheme. Local authorities reported 14,275 sales during the year, compared with around 7,500 in 2024-25, according to analysis...

SearchFlow completes first Next Gen NLIS integration

SearchFlow has become the first search intermediary to connect to the next-generation National Land Information Service and complete end-to-end testing. The milestone comes ahead of the planned launch of Next Gen NLIS in March 2027 and provides an early...

Gen H raises new-build mortgage affordability limits

Gen H has revised its affordability model to increase the amount some buyers can borrow for energy-efficient new-build homes. The residential mortgage lender said the change reflected the lower running costs associated with properties carrying higher energy performance certificate...

PROFILE

Toni Smith on the human factor and the fourth emergency service

After nearly four decades in financial services, Sesame Network distribution director Toni Smith still believes technology should make advisers stronger, not replace them. When Toni...

INDUSTRY COMMENT

Managing cashflow and risk in today’s turbulent market

Over the past decade buy-to-let landlords have become accustomed to operating in a market where it can often feel like change is the only...

Is there such thing as a ‘typical borrower’ anymore?

What is a typical borrower? A few decades ago, it would have been a salaried employee, single source of income and, most likely, a...

Private credit has reached its next stage of maturity

Every lending market experiences moments that prompt uncomfortable questions. A high profile default, allegations of poor governance or a significant loss inevitably lead to...

Your clients aren’t being stolen… they’re being handed over

Let's be honest about something the industry won't say out loud. Lenders going direct aren't the problem. Brokers are. Every year the same conversation happens....

AI is changing banking but trust will define who succeeds

For the past three years, the conversation around artificial intelligence in financial services has been dominated by technology. Every week seems to bring another...

No benefit to be had from ‘wait and see’

It seems to be a recurring theme as of late, but it’s been yet another week of volatile rates. Swap rates continue to move,...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

FIBA launches broker education series for buy-to-let market

The Financial Intermediary & Broker Association (FIBA) has launched a four-part webinar series to...

MTD pressure prompts 22% of landlords to consider quitting

More than one in five UK landlords have considered leaving the rental market as...

Virgin Money cuts new business rates and ups buy-to-let PT rates

Virgin Money is to reduce a range of purchase and remortgage fixed rates while...

Landlord refinancing returns to record levels as fixed-rate deals expire

Buy-to-let refinancing has returned to a record high as landlords respond to the expiry...

LendInvest appoints Darrell Walker to lead mortgage division

LendInvest has appointed Darrell Walker as managing director of mortgages as the specialist lender...

October Budget puts mortgage market on alert

Chancellor John Healey will deliver the first Budget of Andy Burnham’s premiership on Wednesday...

Foundation revives buy-to-let products and cuts holiday let rates

Foundation Home Loans has refreshed its buy-to-let mortgage range, bringing back several products, adding...

Mortgage lending rebounds but book growth lags

UK mortgage gross lending increased by more than a fifth during 2025, although substantially...

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

Gen H cuts high-LTV mortgage rates by up to 40 basis points

Gen H has reduced rates across its high loan-to-value and New Build Boost mortgage ranges as other lenders continue to raise prices. The lender has cut its 85% loan-to-value rates by 40 basis points, while rates at 90% and 95% loan-to-value have been reduced by...

Gable Group targets £250m of high-LTV mortgage lending

Gable Group has secured a long-term funding line from an unnamed European bank to...

Nationwide trims fixed mortgage rates by up to 0.19 points

Nationwide is cutting fixed mortgage rates for first-time buyers, home movers and remortgage customers...

Buyers are already reacting to a Budget nobody has written

Andy Burnham ruled out changes to stamp duty on 27 July, a week into...

Leeds lending falls amid technology investment

Leeds Building Society completed £2bn of gross mortgage lending during the first half of...

OPINION

What financial services can learn from the World Cup

Look, bear with us here. What does the World Cup have to do with financial services reviews? Well, more than you think actually! This summer,...

The tech question is how, not if, we can use it

Recent adviser research from Nottingham Building Society underlines the appetite for greater use of...

Mortgage maturity: A golden opportunity for advisers

Around 1.8 million fixed-rate mortgage deals are due to come to an end in...

Rates are moving and regulation is evolving

Many lenders are having to increase their rates, and that trend looks set to continue over the coming week. For clients whose current deal is up for renewal in the next six months, this is the moment to act rather than wait. Securing a rate...

Building tomorrow’s mortgage market: AI built on trust, governance and confidence

The government's Financial Services AI Adoption Plan, led by Harriet Rees, group chief information officer at Starling Bank, and Dr Rohit Dhawan, group director...

DISTRIBUTION

TMG adds Handelsbanken to mortgage lender panel

TMG Mortgage Network has added Handelsbanken to its lender panel, giving advisers access to...

Walsham Brothers appoints Omni Protect as first distribution partner

Walsham Brothers has appointed Fintel's whole-of-market protection club Omni Protect as its first distribution...

MortgageMatch launches AI-ready broker directory

MortgageMatch.org has launched a consumer-facing platform designed to make finding and comparing mortgage brokers...

Brilliant Solutions’ mortgage club claims record month

Brilliant Solutions has reported its strongest month on record despite signs of slowing momentum...

Walbrook launches mortgage adviser apprenticeship pathway

Walbrook Institute London has expanded its apprenticeship offering with a new Level 3 pathway for aspiring mortgage advisers that incorporates LIBF’s Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP). The 15-month Mortgage Adviser apprenticeship is designed to give firms a funded and fully managed route to...