Features

This is not a competition

With recent FLA figures showing that second charge business was up 31% in March,...

Hidden costs

Recently I was asked to act as a pallbearer. Being very close to the...

Don’t forget the mutual specialist lenders

It’s frustrating when your client just slips out of mainstream lending criteria. They’re almost...

Broker feedback is always worthwhile

Understanding what the customer wants, and how this might evolve over time, should be...

Learn to embrace feedback

There are so many outlets for customers to express their views on a business’...

Streamlining buy-to-let insurance

Once the go-to choice for canny investors, the shine has come off the buy-to-let...

Technology can help advance the second charge sector

A personal belief is that a second charge loan is and probably always will...

We need to understand what all housing stakeholders want

With The Spice Girls about to embark on a nostalgia-fest tour round the country,...

How can you maximise affordability for your clients?

What’s your go-to lender for clients who want to maximise their affordability? Chances are, you...

Increased opportunities in Scotland

Back in March we saw the fifth FSE Glasgow take place. After extending our...

Cars and retirement

The other day I heard a Kia advertisement on my car radio. The narration...

Deposit requirements still hampering first-time buyers

Looking at the recent stats from HMRC, many in the market might be surprised...

How might the regulator have got it so wrong?

The industry has had a little over a month to digest the contents of...

Q&A: Marcus Dussard, sales director at Castle Trust

BestAdvice (BA): Tell us about Castle Trust’s new bridging product? Marcus Dussard (MD): Our new...

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COMMENT

Why predicting 2025 interest rates feels like a fool’s errand

In my first (and for some reason clearly not my last) article last month, I attempted (perhaps foolishly) to discuss where rates might go...

Helping university students onto the property ladder

As we head towards the Easter break, thousands of first-year university students up and down the country will be preparing for exams and making...

Lenders must step up on high LTV products

Things are on the up for borrowers with a smaller deposit. The financial information website Moneyfacts publishes a regular update on mortgage product numbers,...

Why it matters that bridging hit more than £10bn last year

We see many numbers bandied around in the financial industry, which can sometimes have a numbing effect. So why should we all, especially brokers, care...

Top five reasons why renters should consider short-term protection insurance

In an unpredictable world, financial security can often feel like a luxury, especially for renters who may already juggle living expenses, rent payments, and...

Latest news

Seven out of 10 homebuyers likely to miss stamp duty deadline

Seven out of 10 (71%) homebuyers with accepted offers expect to miss the 31st...

First-time buyer mortgage sales declined in London over the past decade

First-time buyer mortgage sales in London declined significantly between 2013 and 2023, as increasing...

UTB appoints BDM for the north and Scotland

Fran Arnold has joined the sales team at United Trust Bank Mortgages as business...

International demand for UK property investment ‘more diverse than expected’

The UK property market is attracting investment from a much broader range of international...