Opinions & blogs

No bread for ‘jam tomorrow’?

I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say that the Chancellor’s Spring...

95% LTV: looking behind the figures

There are a whole raft of ways in which we can judge the performance...

Not what it seems

A friend recently asked me if I could have a word with his brother-in-law,...

Problems with free legals have not gone away

In this business, issues which at one point seemed incredibly important often get resolved...

The ‘professionalisation’ of buy-to-let is dominant

Sporting contests are often described as a ‘game of two halves’ which tends to...

It really is harder for today’s first-time buyers

Whenever there is a debate about the difficulties younger people have today in purchasing...

Closing the window on cyber threats

It’s no secret that small businesses are often over-stretched with their workload. That’s the...

Don’t be apathetic about protection

The ‘protection gap’ is often mentioned but, as time passes, there seems little progress...

Saving and spending

While we are working, we earn money; we spend some of that money, and...

Softly softly approach to secured loans

2017 was a strong year for second charge loans and while we wait for...

Tackling the construction skills shortage is only the first step

It’s no secret that there is a skills shortage in the construction sector. It...

Ex-pat buy-to-let mortgages an opportunity for brokers 

Ex-pat mortgages were back in the news recently when challenger bank, Aldermore, launched a...

The stamp duty conundrum

I’ve often thought that if stamp duty land tax didn’t exist, those within industry/economic/regulatory/political...

Will the naysayers be proved wrong once again?

If you’re looking for any sort of respite from a news agenda firmly focused...

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COMMENT

Trump’s crazy tariffs could actually be good news for UK landlords

In an unexpected twist, Donald Trump’s return to the global stage with a fresh wave of tariffs could end up doing UK landlords a...

The business case for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been part of the daily news agenda for a couple of years now and there are tremendous opportunities for the...

Rise of AI: from virtual assistants to strategic value

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries. It’s streamlining operations, creating new possibilities. The shift is no longer theoretical, even in the mortgage industry; it’s now...

Imposter syndrome & anxiety: how nutrition and lifestyle can help

Have you ever felt like a fraud, despite your achievements? Like you don’t truly deserve your success, and at any moment, someone will find...

Don’t knock 100% mortgages – they’re viable and necessary

I’ve read a lot of commentary over the past few weeks on the return of 100% mortgages – most of it filled with doom-laden...

Latest news

West One reduces residential mortgage rates by up to 30bps and introduces £1,000 cashback remortgage product

Specialist lender West One Loans has implemented a series of rate reductions across its...

Household credit creeps up as lenders point to more optimism… but at a cost

British households are borrowing more – and lenders are increasingly willing to let them...

Newcastle cuts shared ownership rates by up to 55bps

Newcastle for Intermediaries has announced rate reductions of up to 55 basis point s...

Paragon Bank promotes Tim Sweetman to national account role

Paragon Bank has appointed Tim Sweetman as its new mortgages national account manager, marking...