The number of registered company insolvencies in February 2024 was 2,102, 17% higher than in the same month in the previous year.

Total number of individual and company insolvencies rise in February, data reveals

Newspage asked brokers how lenders look at ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ schemes and whether they can impact a person’s ability to get a mortgage.

Brokers report “huge increase in Klarna and PayPal schemes on credit reports” over 12 months

Inflation increased in December. However, industry experts don’t see this as a portent of doom. But if swap rates rise, that could change.

Inflation rise ‘blip’ that won’t reverse rate drops but beware swap rises – analysis - Mortgage Solutions

Good service for financial advice in the entertainment industry can be defined by various factors, such as customer satisfaction, quality of content, innovation, accessibility&nbsp;and social responsibility.&nbsp;

Case study: How we tailor our service to our clients’ specific needs

Brokers discuss lenders offering more deals under 5%

How is the mortgage market coping with rate cuts?

Happier as a mortgage professional, he now considers himself “one of the lucky ones”

How I became a broker – Austyn Johnson’s story

Latest rate cuts “are nothing more than attempts to get free advertising”

Mortgage rates going down – but are lenders going far enough?

Brokers have conflicting views on the sector’s outlook

Does student accommodation lending have a future?

Brokers discuss commercial conversions to residential homes

Are commercial conversions to residential homes still occurring?

August is normally a quiet month for lead generation and activity in the mortgage industry and this year has proved no different for most brokers.

Brokers note lack of leads and activity in August

Mortgage lending has fallen to smallest level since 2020

How can mortgage lending be stimulated?

Mortgage brokers have told FTAdviser that while now is not the right time for borrowers to explore long-term fixes, the evolution of the market in this direction is “long overdue”.

Long-term fixes and evolution of mortgage market ‘long overdue’

After the UK saw its first annual house price decline in 11 years experts give their take on what’s next for house prices.

Are we heading for a property market crash? Experts give their views

Following the Halifax reporting earlier this week that house prices registered the first annual contraction in more than a decade in May, UK newswire, Newspage,

Are we heading for a property market crash? Experts deliver their views

Homeowners have spoken of having to make cutbacks as their mortgage rates increase

‘I’m remortgaging from 1% to a rate three times higher’: The people exiting rock-bottom deals

It is just over three years since the first Covid lockdown. As the country was told, ‘Stay at home,’ the mortgage market, along with many other sectors, was forced into new ways of working. Teams and Zoom software became part of everyday life and the restrictions marked a turning point in the sector…

Cover feature: Work in progress - WFH or back in the office?

Newspage®, asked mortgage brokers and financial services tech experts how fintech lenders compare to traditional high street lenders. The views of brokers

Fintech versus high street lenders - brokers deliver their verdict and identify pros and cons

Stonebridge saw the biggest growth in AR numbers among regular mortgage networks last year, new analysis has found.

Network data table: Stonebridge biggest gainer in battle for brokers ‒ analysis

AI technology is without doubt the future we are heading towards. However, what that future looks like is still unclear. How will AI be used? Will it repl

Supplement or substitute - How do advisers view ChatGPT’s potential impact on financial services?

Creating separate council tax bands to individual units in houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in particular circumstances will affect poorer tenants and result in landlords being used as “cash cows”.

Separate council tax bands for HMO units will harm tenants, property professionals warn

“Cash-starved councils are trying to make money off the back of the poorest in society”

Property stakeholders criticise local authorities’ re-banding of HMOs

House prices in the UK have recorded a seventh consecutive monthly decline, with prices down 3.1% year-on-year in March, Nationwide’s house price index for March has shown.

House prices drop for seventh consecutive month amid sluggish market activity

Since the government outlined proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill in its A Fairer Private Rented Sector white paper in June 2022, there has been much talk about what

Are private landlords going to better or worse off following the introduction of the Renters’ Reform Bill?

Read how you can help your child to buy a property without having to part with your own cash

Helping your children to buy property? No cash? No problem!

Mortgage brokers have accused lenders of treating self-employed applicants like “second class citizens”, with borrowers suffering because lenders do not take the time to understand their income.

Lenders treating self-employed borrowers ‘like second-class citizens’

Bundle combines mortgage and legal services under one roof

Gen H introduces ‘market-first’ first-time buyer bundle

The first-time buyer bundle rates will be up to 0.35% lower than Gen H’s standard range.

Gen H launches first-time buyer ‘bundle’ combining mortgage and legal services

Brokers have not been impressed by receiving an email from TSB Intermediary today at 12:35pm, announcing rates would be increasing by as much as 0.20% at... 13:

TSB gives brokers 25 minutes’ notice of rate changes – reaction

Following the Halifax February House Price Index announcement, brokers, estate agents and property experts have shared their thoughts with IFA Magazine via Ne

Halifax February House Price Index - reaction from lenders, estate agents and brokers

Following Robert Gardner of Nationwide outlining the challenges faced by first-time buyers this morning in the lender’s February HPI, Newspage asked brokers wh

As Nationwide warns “deposit requirements remain prohibitively high” for FTBs, brokers reveal which lenders stand out

Brokers have said that mortgage lenders who will accept higher amounts of variable income will become more attractive, but have said it is unlikely more lenders will change their criteria.

Rises in variable income limits ‘welcome’ but lenders unlikely to change

Variable income, multiple income streams and getting paid in different currencies are just some of the challenges of securing mortgages for those in the entertainment industry but stereotypical assumptions from the wider finance industry can also be a setback.

Variable income can make entertainers’ mortgages a real drama, says Mortgages for Actors founder

Brokers have called for mortgage lenders to be more “brave and bold” in their rate cuts, and move beyond “cherry picking” the best borrowers.

Lenders should stop ‘cherry picking’ best borrowers in rate war ‒ analysis

Following the Land Registry December HPI published this morning, Newspage asked brokers and property experts for their thoughts. Sofia Jones, Managing Dire

Land Registry Dec HPI – “a correction is looking increasingly likely” property and mortgage experts react

Lenders have been steadily increasing the arrangement fees charged on buy to let mortgages in recent weeks with brokers suggesting it is in an attempt to maintain profit levels and allow landlords to borrow more

Lenders hike fees to ‘keep BTL profit machine churning’

Virgin Money is now offering a 10-year fixed rate residential mortgage for 3.99%.

Virgin Money introduces sub-4% 10-year fix

How an adviser came up with the idea of creating specialist advice for people in the entertainment industry

Mortgages For Actors – how it came to be

Money Box’s Paul Lewis tells mortgage seekers to avoid ‘local brokers’ - brokers react

As we kick off a new year, Mortgage Solutions reveals the words that those in the industry think will characterize 2023.

The eight watchwords that will define the mortgage market in 2023

What makes someone want to radically change their career and make a success of it?

Taking a flying leap into mortgages

House prices declined for the fourth consecutive month in December with the rate of annual house price growth dropping to 2.8%, according to Nationwide’s latest house price index.

House prices dip again in December - Nationwide

When it comes to my specific clients — those in the arts and entertainment or performing arts industry — the wider picture needs to be considered. Whereas pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) employees get paid relatively the same amount each day, self-employed clients’ pay is more sporadic and variable. Although…

Comment: No drama, just honesty

Demand has been high for complex buy-to-let this year and expected to grow even more next year, but brokers have said product innovation is crucial to sustain this sector.

Next year will be ‘survival of the fittest’ for landlords unless lenders innovate

Next year will be ‘survival of the fittest’ for landlords unless lenders innovate – analysis - Mortgage Solutions

Brokers have called for a rethink around risk by lenders when it comes to the employed versus the self-employed.

Brokers urge lenders to rethink self-employed risk

MS Dec2022_Jan2023

The maximum loan-to-income multiple for self-employed applicants has been lowered from 5.00 times to 4.49 times income.

TSB cuts self-employed multiples and increases stress rates

TSB is pausing its new build lending at 90% LTV while reducing the maximum loan-to-income (LTI) multiples for self-employed applicants.

TSB pauses 90% LTV new build lending and cuts LTI for self-employed

Lenders have been guilty of ‘persecuting’ self-employed borrowers since the pandemic, brokers have claimed, a situation which has only been exacerbated by the impact of the mini-Budget.

Lenders urged to stop ‘persecuting’ self-employed borrowers ‒ analysis

The move has been broadly welcomed by brokers as one that “may reignite the buy-to-let market”.

The Mortgage Works to reduce stress rates

Nationwide’s seasonally adjusted measure of house prices fell by 1.4% month-to-month in November while year-over-year growth dropped to 4.4%, from 7.2% in October, well below the consensus, 5.8%.

Annual house price growth slowed to 4.4% in November from 7.2% in October - The Intermediary - Latest UK mortgage news

Annual house price growth slowed to 4.4% in November from 7.2% in October

An air of urgency and panic has been prevalent in the housing and mortgage market for some time.

Mortgage porting is the ‘unexpected gift’ of rising rates – analysis - Mortgage Solutions

Brokers said the approach is particularly positive for people buying new builds, as it protects them from building delays.

Brokers praise lenders offering 12 month mortgage offers

Mortgage brokers have expressed frustration over the lack of innovation among mortgage lenders in the buy to let space with many in agreement that action is needed before things get worse

Lenders need to innovate to save BTL, brokers say

Below, a number of finance and property experts comment on the Halifax October House Price Index , which was published this morning: Jon Halbert, mortgage

Halifax October HPI: experts say the property market is not facing headwinds “but a hurricane”

Rate may drop due to interest rise being lower than feared

Borrowing rates ‘could reduce’, says London broker

Meet Austyn Johnson, financial adviser at Mortgages for Actors

Meet the broker... Mortgages for Actors - The Intermediary - Latest UK mortgage news

The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted by a 7-2 majority to increase the bank rate by 0.75 percentage points to 3%.

BoE interest rate jumps to 3% — industry reacts

Following today’s news that the Bank of England has hiked rates by 0.75%, the biggest single rise since 1989, mortgage experts have been sharing their thought

BoE rate rise: Reaction from mortgage brokers and IFAs

Some mortgage deals may become cheaper as today s interest rate rise by the Bank of England did not go as far as some had feared brokers have said

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