Opinions & blogs

Complaints: A pain that you can handle

One of the biggest problems an adviser can face is a complaint. And those...

The next decade for mortgage advice: back to the future?

The mortgage market has always moved in cycles, and right now it feels like...

Reflecting the modern realities of retirement

There’s a quiet revolution happening in the world of mortgage lending, driven by the...

Energy efficiency is now a mainstream concern for landlords

The energy efficiency of rental property has moved from being a regulatory side note...

Property transactions are slower than ever – why?

While much of the financial services sector is becoming faster and more automated, the...

Beyond the payslip: the importance of rethinking borrower profiles

In our market, the term ‘non-standard borrower is often used to describe applicants whose...

Non dom changes create £401 million stamp duty black hole

It’s exactly nine years since 52% of the country voted to leave the EU....

FCA’s mortgage rule changes: it’s time to raise the advice bar, not drop it

The FCA’s move to relax some of the rules around mortgage switching and term...

Tom Bill: Unintended consequences

Former Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduced a brick tax in 1784 to...

U.S. Market: lower rates are needed to help unlock the market

When Donald Trump was reelected and took office at the start of this year,...

A home shouldn’t be out of reach for those who keep the UK running

In a housing market that has grown steadily more selective, it is often those...

Richard Pike: A conference of positivity – Global ABS Day three

It’s time for reflection of the last three days here in Barca. To readers,...

Maximising embedded value and delivering a great service

While advisers understand the importance of looking after existing clients, nurturing your back book...

Open banking and smart data transformed finance – now it’s time to do the same for property

The UK is set for a 'smart data' revolution, a revolution which began with...

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...

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