Opinions & blogs

Why the long face?

One can’t help but come back to the market after the new year break...

Is Flood Re’s future already in doubt?

The record levels of rainfall this winter have brought the misery of flooding to...

Conveyancers are coming under severe pressure

It might be a push to suggest that January has so far been ‘the...

Beware the best bridging rates

At First 4 Bridging we speak to brokers every day of the week, and...

The changing face of specialist lending in 2016

According to recent estimates, the mortgage market will reach £230 billion by the end...

Why 2015 gave us food for thought

How might we describe the 2015 mortgage market when we come to look back...

Expect evolution not revolution in commercial lending

The amount of investors looking at properties outside of the ‘traditional’ residential buy-to-let is...

Now is the time to reflect

At this time of the year the question, “Will we get in the house...

Remain positive about buy-to-let

I think it’s fair to say that no-one working within the buy-to-let market anticipated...

A big year for bridging

More so than other years, I’m really looking forward to putting my feet up...

Creating clarity from a client’s complex financial situation

Releasing equity from an unencumbered property isn’t usually a problem, but when the amount...

Putting the MCD framework into practice in secured loans

At a recent major industry meeting the topic of second charge secured loan regulation...

Covering for Black Friday

As Black Friday arrives, Lee Mooney, commercial director at Paymentshield, discusses the value of additional...

Tackling fraud in the conveyancing process

Reading recently about the conveyancer who was jailed for swindling his clients and the...

COMMENT

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...

Home and away: How appetite for UK property is rising

Conflicts in Ukraine and now the Middle East are a reminder that the catastrophic impact of war is not confined to war zones.   The...

Mutual strength and the broker partnership

The mutual sector has always been associated with community purpose, local branches and a member-first approach that feels a little different to the wider...

First-time, accidental or professional? How the landlord profile is shifting in 2026

One of the most common misconceptions that people have about the buy-to-let market is that landlords are a single, uniform group. The reality is...

Complexity is rising and broker enablement has never mattered more

 For many years, success in the mortgage market was built off efficiency. If a broker understood the mainstream lending landscape, packaged cases well and kept...

Latest news

CII says vulnerability management can help firms grow

The Chartered Insurance Institute has said firms can use stronger vulnerability management to expand...

Royal London wins approval to offer Targeted Support

Royal London has received regulatory approval to provide Targeted Support, becoming one of the...

Together expands second charge range into commercial sector

Together has launched a new suite of commercial and semi-commercial second charge products as...

HTB launches ‘Flow’ range with rates from 5.54%

Hampshire Trust Bank has introduced ‘Flow’ - a new buy-to-let tier with rates starting...

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