First-time buyer solo females outpace couples

More women are planning to step onto the property ladder alone rather than with a partner according to new research from Skipton Building Society. The lender’s nationwide study of aspiring female first-time buyers found that 37% intend to purchase...

Latest news

Santander lowers higher LTV rates for FTBs with 95% 5-year fix at 4.72%

Santander will cut rates by up to 0.32% across its 85%-95% LTV first-time buyer range from 17 February, as competition intensifies at the higher...

Melton targets foreign national borrowers with new five-year fixes

Melton Building Society is launching a dedicated foreign nationals mortgage range, aimed at borrowers living and working in the UK without permanent residency. From Monday...

North West leads HMO market share as yields edge below 10%

The North West has the highest proportion of HMOs in the UK at 17.9%, narrowly ahead of Greater London at 16.5%, new data from...

Countrywide Surveying Services names associate director for learning & development

Countrywide Surveying Services has promoted Sarah Chalmers-Stevens to associate director of learning and development with immediate effect. Chalmers-Stevens (pictured) joined the firm as a graduate...

Smart Money People appoints Peer Jelendorf as chief executive

Smart Money People has named Peer Jelendorf as its new chief executive, succeeding Jacqueline Dewey, who will step down at the end of February after nearly six years in the role. Jelendorf (pictured) joins from savings and investment platform...

ModaMortgages lowers two-year limited edition rates by up to 20bps

ModaMortgages has cut selected two-year fixed rate limited edition products by up to 20 basis points (bps), lowering pricing across its core buy-to-let range. The specialist lender, part of Chetwood Bank, said rates for 75% LTV single dwelling products...

L&G streamlines protection documents to aid advisers

Legal & General’s Retail Protection arm has overhauled its life and critical illness policy documentation in a move designed to make cover easier for clients to understand and simpler for advisers to explain. Following adviser and customer feedback, clients...

Sellers willing to pay £300 to secure property sales

Nine in 10 homeowners would be prepared to pay around £300 upfront to help guarantee a smoother and faster property transaction according to new research that signals support for long-awaited reforms to England and Wales’ homebuying process. Property Soup ...

PROFILE

Michael Day on why conditional selling remains an industry flashpoint

Conditional selling remains one of the most persistent and contentious issues facing the UK housing and mortgage markets with brokers continuing to report pressure...

INDUSTRY COMMENT

First-time buyers and buy-to-let are not rivals

As we move further into 2026, a familiar narrative is starting to reappear. It suggests that a stronger first-time buyer market will be delivered...

Working up those income streams

Some might say the UK labour market has lost some of its confidence. Unemployment is rising, job moves have slowed, and many employers are...

Ignore the Gen Z worker stereotypes – the future is bright

The office fridge. Full of 12 types of milk, none derived from cows, and four on the work top, at room temperature. As for...

Reframe Cancer 2026 trends: prevention to take centre stage

This year is already shaping up to be one when prevention is taking centre stage. The Government recently announced the expansion of its WorkWell...

The mortgage protection gap advisers can’t ignore

The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) consumer research findings published late last year, offered an insight into what the protection industry can expect from the...

Cashback, remortgages and adviser opportunity in 2026

A recent flood of mortgage products into the market offering cashback prove it has moved from the margins of the remortgage market to the...

Q&As

BUY-TO-LET

The Suffolk cuts buy-to-let rates by up to 26bps

Suffolk Building Society has reduced a range of 80% LTV buy-to-let fixed rates by...

Foundation trims specialist buy-to-let rates and broadens product range

Foundation has reduced pricing across much of its specialist buy-to-let range and introduced a...

UTB promotes Rebwar Abdoullahi to bridging and buy-to-let sales role

United Trust Bank has promoted Rebwar Abdoullahi to business development manager within its bridging...

Kensington cuts rates across eKo, residential and buy-to-let ranges

Kensington Mortgages has reduced rates across its eKo proposition and introduced lower pricing on...

Landbay adds two-year trackers and zero-fee fixes to Premier range

Landbay has expanded its Premier buy-to-let range with the launch of new two-year tracker...

Landlord optimism rises as confidence returns to the private rented sector

New research suggests sentiment among landlords has improved sharply over the past year, despite...

Simplybiz Mortgages sets out expanded events programme for 2026

Simplybiz Mortgages has unveiled its events programme for 2026, with more than 100 in-person...

The Buckinghamshire lowers rates across key ranges

Buckinghamshire Building Society has cut rates across a wide spread of residential and buy-to-let...

MORTGAGE MINGLE PODCAST

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

FIRST-TIME BUYERS

Mortgage arrears set to hit record lows despite rate shock

Mortgage arrears are forecast to fall further over the next two years even as borrowers continue to refinance off ultra-low pandemic-era deals, according to the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA). In its New Normal 2026/27 report, the trade body projects that the proportion of mortgage...

Family BS launches 100% LTV fix backed by family security

Family Building Society has entered the 100% LTV arena with the launch of an...

Savings gap widens as protection message fails to land

A growing number of UK households are dangerously exposed to income shocks despite advisers...

First-time buyers ‘closer than they think’ to owning a home

Most wannabe first-time buyers may be far closer to homeownership than they realise according...

FTBs handed boost as high-LTV mortgage choice hits record

First-time buyers and borrowers with small deposits are entering 2026 with more mortgage choice...

OPINION

Autonomous AI is waiting for us

The UK rightly prides itself on having one of the most respected financial services sectors in the world but even strong markets benefit from...

TOM BILL: Rate cut expectations fade amid mixed signals

Borrowing costs have risen in recent weeks for reasons that include stronger-than-expected UK economic...

Think you know CeMAP? Maybe it’s time to think again

Anyone who wants to work as a mortgage adviser in the UK needs to...

Second charge mortgages set for another strong year in 2026

A few weeks into 2026, the direction of travel for the second charge mortgage market is already clear. Momentum has carried over from last year, with growth in both lending volumes and broker usage now well established. The latest figures from the Finance & Leasing...

Why the collapse of US auto finance lenders matters for UK mortgages

You might wonder why a car loans provider across the Atlantic has anything to do with UK mortgages – on the face of it,...

DISTRIBUTION

Gen H expands into Scotland with affordability-led income booster

Residential mortgage lender Gen H has launched in Scotland, extending its lending proposition north...

Mortgage Brain continues hub rollout with Mortgage Force and Affinity onboarding

Mortgage Brain has completed the onboarding of Mortgage Force and Affinity Group onto its...

CIExpert adds Royal London to income protection insight zone

Royal London has become the latest insurer to join CIExpert’s Income Protection Insight Zone,...

NatWest and Rightmove strike three-year deal on digital mortgage access

NatWest and Rightmove have announced a new three-year strategic partnership that will see the...

The Marsden joins Brilliant Solutions panel to widen later life and expat lending access

Marsden Building Society has joined the Brilliant Solutions lender panel, expanding the range of specialist options available to intermediaries. The partnership brings the Society’s later life and expat lending products onto the Brilliant Solutions panel, broadening support for cases that fall outside mainstream criteria. Intermediaries working...