Lloyds Banking Group cuts deposit barrier with £5k first-time buyer deal

Lloyds Banking Group has launched a new mortgage allowing first-time buyers to secure a home with a £5,000 deposit. The UK’s largest mortgage lender is reducing one of the most persistent barriers to homeownership by introducing a product aimed...

Latest news

The Dudley names Helen Smith as chief growth officer

Dudley Building Society has appointed Helen Smith as chief growth officer as it looks to develop its growth strategy across technology, customer and intermediary...

Remortgage searches fall as April mortgage activity slows

Mortgage search activity fell sharply in April as the market lost momentum after stronger levels earlier in the year, according to Twenty7tec. Data from the...

Conveyancing delays push exchange times past 100 days

The average home that exchanged contracts in April had gone under offer 104 days earlier, as leasehold transactions continued to slow the buying and...

Equifinance launches broker portal for second charge cases

Equifinance has released its new broker portal, ECHO, giving introducers an end-to-end process for second charge mortgage applications from enquiry to completion. The lender said...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 11

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) began its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge on Sunday and will finish on Friday this week. There are some 72 participants from across the mortgage sector taking part. The six-day...

Third of protection clients nearly cancelled cover before claiming

Almost a third of protection claimants at Waddle Insurance had considered cancelling or had nearly lost their cover before needing to make a claim, according to the firm’s inaugural claims report. The protection advice specialist said 32% of claimants...

The Beverley joins Brilliant Solutions mortgage club panel

Beverley Building Society has joined the Brilliant Solutions Mortgage Club lender panel in a move aimed at widening broker access to its manually underwritten mortgage proposition. The partnership will give intermediaries using Brilliant Solutions access to Beverley’s approach to...

Together hires strategy chief to support growth plans

Together has appointed Russell Anderson as chief strategy officer as the specialist lender looks to support its transformation and growth plans. Anderson (pictured) joins the lender today from Paragon Bank, where he was commercial director. He brings 24 years of...

PROFILE

Kevin Tunnicliffe on ending the race to the bottom

This was always going to be a tricky interview. I’ve known Kevin Tunnicliffe, chief executive officer of Sort Group, which includes Sort Refer, for...

INDUSTRY COMMENT

A BBR decision rooted in caution, not complacency

The Bank of England MPC’s decision to hold Bank Base Rate (BBR) will come as a welcome outcome for many across the mortgage market,...

When the market gets messy, control matters more than ever

There is a tendency to look at the current market and focus purely on activity levels, particularly after the recent spike driven by lender...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 8

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge from 10-15 May. There are now 72...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – Part 7

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge from 10-15 May. There are now 72...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 6

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge from 10-15 May. There are now 72...

Volatility is back – but it has been part of buy-to-let for years

For many, the level of uncertainty we’ve had in the mortgage market over the past couple of months feels uncomfortable, particularly when it feeds...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

Jeremy Duncombe to retire as the Yorkshire reshapes homes division

Jeremy Duncombe is to retire from Yorkshire Building Society after supporting a transition that...

The Cambridge relaunches buy-to-let and residential mortgage products

The Cambridge Building Society has relaunched a selection of mortgage products across its buy-to-let...

PM Data Services adds upgrades to BTL sourcing platform

PM Data Services has rolled out a series of upgrades to its Genie sourcing platform...

Additional property purchases drive stamp duty receipts in more than half of councils

Landlords and second-home buyers now account for the majority of stamp duty receipts in...

Landlords urged to review rent guarantee cover after Renters’ Rights Act changes

Buy-to-let landlords should consider rent guarantee insurance after the Renters’ Rights Act came into...

Brightstar steps up hiring as group targets 20% annual growth

The Brightstar Group has made a series of hires across its businesses as it...

Foundation research points to steadier landlord confidence

Foundation Home Loans has reported signs of improving landlord confidence in the first quarter...

Hinckley & Rugby adds 80% LTV buy-to-let deals

Hinckley & Rugby for Intermediaries has launched new 80% loan-to-value buy-to-let products and cut...

MORTGAGE MINGLE PODCAST

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

The human adviser in an AI mortgage market

NatWest’s decision to place home-buying guidance inside ChatGPT is a story with large implications. It shows how quickly the first conversation about a mortgage can move away from a branch, a broker website, or a phone call and into a digital channel that feels immediate,...

Mortgage affordability reaches tightest level since 2008

Mortgage affordability has reached its tightest level since 2008, with borrowers spending an average...

Afin Bank removes fee from 95% LTV five-year fixes

Afin Bank has removed the product fee from its 95% loan-to-value five-year fixed rate...

Renters would buy if mortgage payments matched rent, MAB research finds

Nearly half of renters would buy a home immediately if their monthly mortgage payments...

HSBC cuts mortgage rates by up to 0.31bps

HSBC UK has reduced rates across parts of its mortgage range, with cuts of...

OPINION

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 10

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) began its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge yesterday and will finish on Friday this week....

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 9

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage Leaders talk mental health – part 5

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage Leaders talk mental health – part 4

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge from 10-15 May. There are now 72 participants from across the mortgage sector taking part. The six-day initiative will follow the Grand Union Canal, with individuals joining for...

Beyond the walk: Mortgage leaders talk mental health – part 3

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) is hosting its third annual 144-mile Walk & Talk challenge from 10-15 May. There are 72 participants from...

DISTRIBUTION

Hope Capital ties up with Melius Commercial to expand broker access to bridging finance

Hope Capital Property Finance has partnered with Melius Commercial, delivering more than £7m of...

Cloud Mortgages joins Stonebridge in technology-led growth push

Cloud Mortgages has joined Stonebridge as it seeks to expand its adviser team with...

Fintel Services launches Omni Mortgage Club

Fintel Services has launched Omni Mortgage Club, a whole-of-market mortgage club intended to expand...

Brightstar COO urges brokers to back ED&I survey push

The mortgage industry has been urged to “take stock and reset” its approach to...

TPFG invests in L&G surveying services parent to strengthen lender links

The Property Franchise Group has taken a 25% stake in Meridian HoldCo, the parent of Legal & General Surveying Services, in a move to expand its role within the mortgage ecosystem. The £2.5m investment brings the group closer to the valuation and surveying side of...