Opinions & blogs

Maintaining confidence in conveyancing

We live (and work) in highly-regulated times – I probably don’t need to tell...

Cars and retirement

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

Fleet Mortgages: how we dealt with the downtime

Keeping staff motivated and engaged can be a difficult job at the best of...

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...

We can’t do it alone

Sorry to say this, but I am not a fan of golf. However, hearing...

Busting myths about bridging finance

The demand for bridging finance has grown significantly over recent years, and yet, despite...

Who am I?

Are you a Brexiteer or a Remainer? If you are a Brexiteer you are...

SME funding options in the wake of Brexit

The never-ending churn of Brexit updates mean the only certainty right now is a...

Why the FCA is wrong over advice

I’m going to start with a point that you might have thought was rather...

In defence of the procuration fee model

Government u-turns used to be as rare as hen’s teeth; indeed, back in the...

The PRS remains an attractive proposition for landlords

From a mortgage market, and to a lesser extent, housing market perspective, the Spring...

Expect the year to continue to not be ‘normal’

In any ‘normal’ year, the end of the first quarter might well provide us...

Portfolio landlords don’t need to be taxing

For those doing their tax returns early in the year, I am sure you...

COMMENT

Mortgage maturity: A golden opportunity for advisers

Around 1.8 million fixed-rate mortgage deals are due to come to an end in 2026, adding to the 1.6 million mortgages that already matured...

Rates are moving and regulation is evolving

Many lenders are having to increase their rates, and that trend looks set to continue over the coming week. For clients whose current deal...

Building tomorrow’s mortgage market: AI built on trust, governance and confidence

The government's Financial Services AI Adoption Plan, led by Harriet Rees, group chief information officer at Starling Bank, and Dr Rohit Dhawan, group director...

The protection prompt: what AI still needs to get right

The Mills Review has prompted plenty of discussion across the mortgage industry. While much of the focus has been on the finding that a...

Why second charges are helping Right to Buy borrowers do more with their home

For many people, Right to Buy is still one of the most accessible ways to become a homeowner and over the last five years,...

Latest news

First-time buyer squeeze deepens as mortgage rates climb

First-time buyers with small deposits face mounting pressure as average mortgage rates rise and...

Mortgage costs push sales 9% lower

Higher mortgage rates have contributed to a sharper-than-usual summer housing slowdown, with sales agreed...

Access FS appoints Alan Baldwin as compliance director

Access Financial Services has appointed Alan Baldwin as director of compliance as it expands...

Mortgage-backed Swansea auction sale completes in six days

A mortgage-financed property purchase in Swansea has completed six days after the draft contract...

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