Darrell Walker on LendInvest’s next chapter

After 35 years in banking and mortgages, the former football hopeful thought he might have found the company where he would see out his career. Then a cup of coffee near Euston station changed his mind. Darrell Walker was...

Latest news

The Marsden eases expat criteria and cuts documentation requirements

Marsden Building Society has revised its expat mortgage criteria, removing its minimum income requirement for expat buy-to-let and reducing the documentation required from applicants. Under...

Rental arrears among landlords fall to record low

The proportion of landlords experiencing rental arrears has fallen to its lowest level since records began, although larger portfolio landlords remain significantly more exposed. Some...

Mortgage Intelligence adds the Swansea to lender panel

Mortgage Intelligence has added Swansea Building Society to its lender panel, giving advisers across the network access to the mutual's mortgage range. The mortgage broker...

Mortgage advances rise 11% as high-LTV lending reaches 18-year high

Gross mortgage advances rose by 11.1% in the second quarter of 2026, while the proportion of lending above 90% LTV reached its highest level...

Finova appoints former Kensington chief to board

Finova has appointed former Kensington Mortgages chief executive Mark Arnold as a non-executive director as the mortgage technology provider continues to invest in its lending, savings and broker platforms. Arnold (pictured) joins Finova with more than 26 years of...

The Buckinghamshire launches three-year discounted mortgage range

Buckinghamshire Building Society has launched three three-year discounted mortgage products across its Retirement and Credit Restore ranges. The products include a Retirement three-year discount mortgage at 5.09%, available up to 75% loan-to-value (LTV) with a £999 product fee. Two Credit...

Millennials and Gen Z set to make up 62% of landlords within a decade

Millennials and Generation Z are expected to account for almost two-thirds of UK landlords within the next decade, according to research from specialist buy-to-let lender Rely. The study found that Millennials are forecast to represent 44% of landlords within...

Butterfield provides £4.5m for prime London buy-to-let acquisitions

Butterfield Mortgages Limited has provided £4.5 million to finance the acquisition of two prime central London buy-to-let properties valued at a combined £7 million. The facilities were provided to an experienced property investor with an established portfolio of UK...

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

In our industry, competition and collaboration aren’t opposites

If there's one theme running through the market at the moment, it's the power of retention, and just how much can be achieved when...

We must not accept our snail’s pace home buying system

Buying a house in this country can be ridiculously slow, as a handful of recent studies have highlighted. Research from the House Buyer Bureau...

Deferment and capitalisation rates: small percentages, large consequences

The Government is currently consulting on Leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates to determine what deferment and capitalisation rates should be prescribed under the Leasehold and...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

Afin Bank recruit to lead treasury and regulatory reporting

Afin Bank has appointed Simon McClean as head of treasury and regulatory reporting as...

HSBC UK to raise rates across residential and buy-to-let ranges

HSBC UK will increase rates across a range of two-year and five-year fixed mortgages...

Landlords’ average rental income rises to £88,454

The average UK landlord portfolio generates £88,454 a year in gross rental income, according...

The Mortgage Works raises landlord borrowing limit to £10m

The Mortgage Works (TMW) has increased the maximum amount landlords can borrow across Nationwide...

Together webinar to examine portfolio landlord lending strategies

Together is to examine changing landlord trends and portfolio lending strategies in a broker...

Pepper Money reduces residential and buy-to-let rates

Pepper Money has cut rates across its residential and buy-to-let mortgage ranges and launched...

Property investors retain appetite for build-to-rent despite construction slowdown

More than seven in 10 professional property investors plan to invest in build-to-rent developments...

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

FCA explores rent payments as mortgage evidence

Rental payment histories could play a greater role in mortgage affordability assessments as the Financial Conduct Authority explores how open finance could reshape the mortgage journey. The regulator has published the findings of a two-day policy sprint involving around 80 mortgage and open finance experts,...

Stamp duty blamed as home moves fall to once every 21 years

Stamp duty is deterring millions of people from moving home and restricting opportunities for...

Ecology launches 95% mortgage for Scottish first-time buyers

Ecology Building Society has launched a mortgage for first-time buyers using the Scottish government’s...

Digital ID trust mark could speed up mortgage applications

A new government-backed digital identity trust mark could help mortgage brokers and lenders reduce...

The Coventry raises first-time buyer lending limit to 6.5 times income

Coventry Building Society has increased the amount eligible first-time buyers can borrow to as...

OPINION

Your clients can’t tell which firm they’re dealing with

Two clients walk into your firm in the same week. One of them is a referral from a mate of yours. Complicated case, self-employed, bit...

It’s time to look at retention

As the summer winds down and the back-to-school routine kicks back in, I urge...

Landlords are buying – and advisers should take note

There has been no shortage of commentary over recent years suggesting landlords are heading...

Why energy efficiency is hiding mortgage portfolio risk

For years, ESG strategies across the UK mortgage sector have operated under a relatively straightforward principle: better Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings equal lower risk. Lenders have naturally focused their green product strategies around EPC ratings. Improving energy efficiency reduces carbon emissions, lowers household energy...

Affordability shocks and expiring deals: why the 2026 mortgage peak demands a holistic protection review

I speak to mortgage advisers and brokers every day, and one topic keeps coming up - the sheer number of mortgage deals coming to...

DISTRIBUTION

Openwork adds April Mortgages to lending panel

Openwork has added April Mortgages to its lending panel, giving advisers access to a...

TMG backs Rotherham United Women in shirt sponsorship deal

TMG Financial Services has agreed a partnership with Rotherham United Women FC to become...

L&G opens Ignite mortgage sourcing platform to all brokers

L&G has extended access to its Ignite mortgage sourcing platform to brokers across the...

James Miller & Associates renews Stonebridge partnership

The Cornwall-based mortgage and protection firm James Miller & Associates has extended its partnership...

Together completes 1,000th Networks & Clubs channel case

Together has completed its 1,000th case through its Networks & Clubs channel, providing a shared ownership mortgage to a couple buying their first home. The applicants secured a £51,000 first-charge repayment mortgage over a one-year term to buy an 18% share of a three-bedroom semi-detached...