Opinions & blogs

The nightmare of UK homebuying needs reform

House sellers will be forced to disclose problems with their homes before sale under...

Goldilocks and the three bear markets

Are you familiar with C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) or you might know it by its...

Mark Bogard on policy, politics and the future of advice

When Mark Bogard, Chief Executive of Family Building Society, talks about Britain’s housing policy,...

Finding efficiency will keep branches as the beating heart of mutual sector

Whether you speak to customers or building societies, they will tell you just how...

Mortgages, mutuality, members and making a difference

Anyone working in the mortgage market knows that a key area of our measurement...

Stability is not a slowdown; it’s exactly what the bridging market needs

So, according to the recent Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA) figures, bridging completions...

The rise of the silver pound

UK house prices may have cooled from their peak, but affordability pressures remain acute. Even...

Staggering stamp duty will make it easier for people to move

A proposal to spread stamp duty land tax payments across several years, in an...

Making Digital Sales Ready properties the norm, not the exception

Digital Sales Ready listings and upfront information have the potential to transform the home...

Supercharging affordability: a broker’s tool for unlocking complex cases

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be? The ability to see...

Selling isn’t shouting

In many industries, sales still carries the weight of old stereotypes: high pressure, slick...

When service beats software: why hands-on support is the real differentiator in conveyancing

For all the talk about technology reshaping the mortgage and conveyancing world, advisers know...

Future-proofing your lead generation

Leads are the lifeblood of any mortgage intermediary business, and while word-of-mouth referrals remain...

We need clearer guidance on Stamp Duty advice

Just over a week ago Angela Rayner resigned following the discovery of a Stamp...

COMMENT

Beyond the Robo-Adviser: why the future of mortgages is ‘Human Plus’

The fintech industry is obsessing over a binary choice: the traditional human broker or the fully automated 'robo-adviser'. But as we navigate the complexities...

Ceasefire boosts sentiment more than mortgage market

What goes up must come down, but for mortgage rates the drop will be notably more gradual than the sharp increase triggered by the...

A surge today, but what comes next for advisers and conveyancing?

March has provided a very clear example of how quickly this market can move when lenders feel the need to take action, with widespread...

Technology adapts so you don’t have to

20 years ago, many brokerages looked and operated in very similar ways. Typically small, local business, many firms focused solely on standard residential mortgage...

Rental barometer shows strength, but March changes the tone

Looking at our recently published Q1 2026 Rental Barometer data in isolation, there is clearly a strong and positive story to tell. Average rental...

Latest news

Help to Buy benefits skewed towards higher earners, IFS finds

Government-backed Help to Buy schemes delivered modest improvements in housing affordability, with the gains...

Buying still £500 cheaper than renting despite rates above 5%

Mortgage affordability continues to outperform renting despite rates pushing back above 5%, as lenders...

Property auctions post strong March as sales and funds raised climb

Property auction activity gathered pace in March, with both sales volumes and money raised...

Santander cuts higher loan-to-value rates for first-time buyers and movers

Santander is cutting rates across a wide range of higher loan-to-value mortgage products from...

PROFILES