Opinions & blogs

New products for new borrowers

A great year in 2013 but can 2014 be a match or go one...

FTBs need educating about protection

Latest government figures reveal more than 2,000 people have now put in offers on...

How intermediaries can assist flood casualties

It probably comes as no surprise to learn that last month was one of...

Addressing drawdown concerns

There is much positivity around the equity release sector as we embark upon 2014...

Lenders are from Mars, brokers are from Venus

We all knew lenders and brokers sat on different sides of the fence but...

The government is letting down Generation Rent

With much of the media focus on Government schemes like Help to Buy it...

Where will lenders go next?

For all the chatter and discussion about and around the mortgage market, this industry...

Mortgage products reach record levels

The average buyer deposit was down by 6% in the last three months of...

Reasons to be cheerful (even about the MMR)

The Christmas and New Year break already seems a long time ago and yet...

With client ownership comes responsibility

Back not so long ago I can remember reading countless articles and opinion pieces...

Identifying value

One of the most important questions being asked as part of the thematic review...

Will FLS demise hit small lenders?

As we start the New Year the lending arena is already slightly different again,...

What Osborne missed

Last month I looked at some of the possible housing and mortgage market-related measures...

CML move is a vote of confidence for buy-to-let

Sometimes it’s the littlest of things that can tell you how a market or...

COMMENT

The case for tech fluency before AI adoption in the mutual sector

It often feels like there is only one conversation taking place in financial services at the moment: artificial intelligence. Whether it’s trade shows and...

Commonhold and RTM: do not mistake control for simplicity

Commonhold is presented as a fairer form of flat ownership. Right to Manage (RTM) is sometimes portrayed as a quick way for residents to...

No holidays: advice firms need a plan for a busy August

Every summer, the same quiet risk runs through the intermediary market. Advisers, case managers and administrators go on holiday. Specialist lending cases, which have...

Every rate shock is becoming a test of the modern mortgage business

Halifax, Barclays and HSBC increased selected mortgage rates by up to 0.20% this week, effective 21 July. Halifax removed its sub-4% deals entirely. Barclays'...

Your next client is probably more complicated than your last one

There's a shift happening in the mortgage market that most small firms aren't ready for. It's not about rates. It's not about the political...

Latest news

Final call for views on FCA mortgage reforms

The mortgage industry has until tomorrow to respond to Financial Conduct Authority proposals intended...

One in five borrow to fund private healthcare

Almost one in five people who recently accessed private healthcare used a credit card...

Digital mortgage ID checks unaffected by government U-turn

Digital identity verification used by mortgage lenders, brokers and other regulated firms is unaffected...

Family BS launches broker Mortgage Hub

Family Building Society has launched an online mortgage application platform designed to give brokers...

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