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13 November 2026 · 4 expert responses

Microsoft outage - what does it mean for businesses?

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A global Microsoft outage left users unable to access Outlook email, Teams, Copilot and other Microsoft 365 services from Thursday evening, with problems continuing into Friday morning. Reports of problems with Outlook…

13 November 2026 · 7 expert responses

Could stronger economy make a December rate rise more likely?

The UK economy grew by 0.7% between July and September, and by 0.2% in September alone, when economists had expected no growth, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figures come a week after the Bank of…

12 November 2026 · 3 expert responses

Rents soar in commuter towns as remote workers flee cities in search of cheaper homes - what does it mean for landlords?

Rents soar in commuter towns as remote workers flee cities in search of cheaper homes, according to data from Spareroom . Rents hit record highs in seven of Britain’s nine regions in the three months to September, with…

12 November 2026 · 5 expert responses

Almost half of Brits are unprepared for an unexpected bill

Almost half of Brits say they are not prepared for an unexpected bill, according to new research from Santander UK . More than seven in 10 faced an unexpected bill in the past year, costing £535 on average. Car repairs…

12 November 2026 · 8 expert responses

Should landlords sell up and cash in their gains?

Many landlords are sitting on large property gains but refusing to sell because of capital gains tax, even when the property earns them little or nothing. In a recent blog post , Property118 founder Mark Alexander says…

12 November 2026 · 7 expert responses

Economy grows at fastest pace since early 2024 - does it feel like it to you?

The UK economy grew by 0.7% between July and September 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics , its fastest quarterly growth since early 2024 . The economy is also 1.9% larger than a year ago. But the…

12 November 2026 · 4 expert responses

Why are pubs and restaurants struggling while the economy grows?

Output from pubs, restaurants and cafés fell by 1.9% in the three months to September 2026, the fifth three-month fall in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics . The drop came as the wider UK economy…

12 November 2026 · 6 expert responses

UK economy grows 0.7% - what does it mean for households and businesses?

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Daily Express: UK interest rates ‘could be higher for longer’ despite growth

The UK economy grew by 0.7% between July and September 2026 compared with the previous three months, according to the first estimate published today by the Office for National Statistics. GDP was also 1.9% higher than…

11 November 2026 · 5 expert responses

Locum doctor mortgages: how do lenders treat locum income?

Locum doctors can earn well but still struggle to get a mortgage, because their income doesn’t fit the way some lenders assess a salaried employee. How a lender reads that income can depend on whether the doctor works…

11 November 2026 · 8 expert responses

NatWest cuts mortgage rates – is now the time to remortgage?

NatWest is cutting rates on 196 mortgage deals from 12 November, by up to 0.20%, with the biggest cuts going to homeowners remortgaging with at least 40% equity. Its two-year fixed remortgage deal at 60% loan-to-value…

11 November 2026 · 5 expert responses

Should businesses claim their profile on ChatGPT?

OpenAI is now letting businesses claim their profile on ChatGPT, which is used by 1.2 billion people each week. Once verified, a business can update its key details and add its products, with pricing and availability,…

11 November 2026 · 5 expert responses

Are financial firms ready for the AI they are using?

Only two financial firms surveyed by UK Finance have a strategy in place for agentic AI and are very confident they can scale it safely under current governance arrangements, according to a report from UK Finance and…

10 November 2026 · 6 expert responses

Seeking expert commentary: why are banks raising mortgage rates but not savings rates?

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The Times: Are the big banks ripping off savers?

I am looking for expert commentary on the growing gap between mortgage and savings rates, and whether banks are treating borrowers and savers fairly. Following the Bank of England's recent increase in interest rates,…

10 November 2026 · 6 expert responses

Barclays cuts mortgage rates again – but why do 5% deposit buyers get the smallest cuts?

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Barclays is cutting rates on 47 mortgage deals from tomorrow (Wednesday), its second round of cuts in less than two weeks, with the biggest reductions going to borrowers taking out 85% to 90% of their home's value. Its…

9 November 2026 · 3 expert responses

Mortgages for rugby players: how do lenders treat short contracts, match fees and injury risk?

With the Nations Championship under way, we’re writing a piece on how hard or easy it is for a professional rugby player to get a mortgage, and how much they can typically borrow. The money is far smaller than…

9 November 2026 · 4 expert responses

How do you pay a tax bill you didn’t see coming?

Every January, HMRC’s self-assessment deadline lands and many people will get a far bigger bill than they'd anticipated. We want to know what people's options are when the bill is bigger than the bank balance. They…

9 November 2026 · 9 expert responses

Limited company director mortgages: how do lenders treat salary, dividends and retained profit?

It can sometimes be a struggle for company directors to get a mortgage, as they might pay themselves a small salary and take the rest in dividends, or leave profit in the business because it’s tax-efficient. They might…

9 November 2026 · 5 expert responses

Mortgages for footballers: how do lenders treat a player’s contract, bonuses and image rights?

A professional footballer can earn more in a season than most borrowers earn in a decade and still be turned down for a mortgage. The contract runs out, the career is short, the basic wage is only part of the money, and…

9 November 2026 · 8 expert responses

What does the mortgage market look like after Bank of England's rate rise

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FT Adviser: Rise in base rate will not provide a ‘smooth path’ for borrowers

Recently, the Bank of England raised the base rate to 4%, the first rise since December 2025. Interestingly, it was a unanimous vote in favour of a rate rise, with the only dissent concerning the level of increase, with…

9 November 2026 · 6 expert responses

Are borrowers coming off cheap five-year fixes switching to interest-only?

Five years ago, borrowers were fixing at rates that started with a one or two. Those deals are now ending, and the people on them are moving to rates two or three times higher on the same loan. For some, the jump in the…

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