Archive for the ‘New Articles’ Category


Is life insurance worth it?

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

In a time of economic uncertainty, looking at our personal budgets, our monthly outgoings and where we can cut down our spending is a good habit to pick up. After shuffling around the credit card balances for a better rate, and looking at how much is spent on luxury items, insurances are among the first expenditure items to be cut back for the majority of households.

Which insurances are worth the monthly expenditure?

Throughout daily life, adults can pick up a portfolio of many different types of insurance. Often insurance is offered as an add on sale to gadgets and household items. In the excitement of purchasing a new gadget for the home, it’s easy to get swept up with the sales patter and see a need to sign up to monthly protection for your items.

The same is true when purchasing or upgrading a new mobile phone. Although the new smart phones are materially worth a lot of money, many of them are offered free on new contracts, yet we are still encouraged to insure our phones for monthly amounts that over the span of a year would add up to enough to purchase a new handset anyway. It’s insurances like these that it is easy to live without and to justify putting an end to the policy.

However, it pays not to be too frivolous with the cutbacks if we are consider monthly payments on policies such as mortgage life insurance.

Why is life insurance important?

When looking at the benefits of life insurance versus the cost, we should remember that paying out for life insurance is an unselfish act. The way that you personally would benefit from life insurance, or critical illness cover, would be to have peace of mind that should anything happen to you, your loved ones would be provided for in the first instance. It is of course your loved ones that would benefit from your life insurance long term.

Balancing the monthly cost of life insurance against the benefits.

The average life insurance quotes vary depending on the type and level of cover that you might require. If you are feeling that your life insurance costs are a little too much to justify in your monthly budget, before you decide to scrap this valuable cover, consider getting some new quotes. If your situation has changed medically, financially or family wise, you may find that you can decrease your current monthly payments with a new policy.

Life insurance looks out for your loved ones.

In summary, life insurance is worth it. Your loved ones will be grateful that you chose to make a small monthly sacrifice to protect them when you are gone.

Tags: sales patter, monthly amounts, life, lot, Life insurance looks

Steps to Secure a Personal Loan

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Before getting a personal loan there are some steps that will help the process go smooth and easy if the borrower is prepared. It is possible even with less than perfect credit to secure a loan for education, a wedding, holiday plans or to consolidate debts.

The steps that will prepare you to shop for a loan and be approved are:

• Check your credit score, this way you know what type of personal loan to look for and you also will not be uninformed when the lender checks your credit score. This is important, because a credit score will determine what interest rate lenders will attach to the loan. The better the credit score, the lower the amount of interest that will be charged to the loan.

• It is important to know about any extra charges and fees; these can add an additional cost over top of the monthly payment that interest has already been added too.

• The borrower will need to determine what their capacity is for repayment; prior to taking a loan and also to determine what length of time it will take to comfortably repay the monthly notes.

• Consider using payment protection insurance, this can help to cover the loan payments if health or other issues prevent you from paying the amount. This is a safety precaution that for the unsecured personal loan will avoid bad credit and legal issues. For the secured loan the lender can repossess the property used to secure the loan, cause bad credit and other legal issues.

These are simple steps that help the borrower be more prepared when taking a loan and can keep people from making snap decisions about taking a loan they are not prepared for and could ruin their credit. Taking a personal loan is usually in a smaller amount, rather than to purchase a home, which means in some cases if you are not prepared financially to pay it back and it is for a holiday it might not be a good idea. If you have secure employment, a good credit score and have the need to take a loan, after finding the right lender there is no reason not to obtain a loan.

There are some other important facts about taking a personal loan:

• Do not jump at the first lender, check all the lenders out, with the Internet this can be done easily to see what their rates of interest are, what their repayment options are and what their extra costs and fees are.

• Determine if it makes better sense to attempt to obtain a loan that is unsecured or one that is secured. This decision should not be taken lightly and can also depend on the borrower’s credit score. Having a poor credit score and using property to secure the loan amount will help to get the loan approved. The one caution that will need to be taken is to make sure you are able to repay the loan and not loose the property that was used to secure the loan amount.

Tags: borrower, rate lenders, Determine, need, repayment, extra charges, secured loan

Sensible Tips for Debt Consolidation

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

When sensible tips for debt consolidation are used it is possible to get out from under the financial stress. These tips can help to clear up the outstanding debts by budgeting properly, not taking on new debt and rather than having 10 bills each month it is consolidated into one. (more…)

Tags: approach, debt, financial, credit, Debt-snowball method, estimates, financial obligations

Britain continues to languish in recession

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Over the past few weeks many industry officials and groups were convinced that Britain was at last coming out of the other side of the recession. It was widely expected that official third quarter figures would show that there had been an increase in economic output and that the nation would officially be out of recession. (more…)

Tags: Late 2000s recession in Europe, bank of england, Macroeconomics, Recessions, Market trends, Alistair Darling, Mervyn King, Quantitative easing

Mixed reactions to recovery of property market

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

There is no doubt that over the past couple of years the UK’s property market has been through an extremely turbulent time, with the near financial collapse resulting in a negative effect on the mortgage and property markets. (more…)

Tags: property market, housing market

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Buying your first home is an exciting, yet daunting experience. It is likely that this purchase is the biggest financial commitment you will ever make in your life and the prospect of taking out a loan that will take you about 25 years to repay is something that could keep you awake at night. (more…)

Tags: first time buyers tips, mortgages, first time buyers, first time buyer mortgages

Is the FSA failing to protect homeowners from lenders?

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

The Financial Services Authority is the UK’s financial regulator, and part of its job is to protect consumers from unscrupulous actions by banks and financial institutions by ensuring that these institutions and properly and fairly regulated. (more…)

Tags: FSA, homeowner protection, Treasury Select Committee

Increased protection for homes is vital

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Industry officials have been warning that in the current financial climate, with the credit crunch and the recession still affecting the economy, the level of domestic burglaries has been rising and in order to try and avoid becoming the victim of burglaries consumers need to ensure that they step up protection for their homes in terms of both security and insurance cover. (more…)

Tags: burglaries, home protection

Are Brits paying out a fortune for properties that are too small to live in?

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Whilst it is true that property prices in the UK have fallen over the past eighteen months the cost of purchasing a home in the UK is still high, which makes things difficult for first time buyers. (more…)

Tags: property prices, house prices

Government Schemes to Help People Keep Their Homes

Monday, September 21st, 2009

With so many people in the UK struggling to make their mortgage payments and finding themselves fighting a losing battle, the government has initiated several schemes to help them keep their homes and not have to suffer through repossession by lenders. (more…)

Tags: Support for Mortgage Interest, mortgages, Home Owner’s Mortgage Support Scheme, Pre-Action Protocol, Preventing Repossession Fund, Mortgage Rescue

How good is your equity release advisor?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

With the financial climate still in a dire state, and the recession adding increasing pressure to consumers all across Britain, a rising number of older homeowners have decided to turn to equity release programmes over recent months in order to free up some cash from their property and give themselves some extra spending power in what has become a difficult financial situation. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, quity release advisor, equity release, home equity

How first time buyers are faring in the current climate

Monday, August 24th, 2009

It seems that no matter what happens first time buyers in the UK are destined to get a raw deal when it comes to trying to get onto the property ladder. (more…)

Tags: housing market, first time buyers, property prices, mortgages

Some of the ways in which banks are getting more money from consumers

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Over the past couple of years banks have found themselves increasingly under fire, having been found guilty of irresponsible lending, partly fuelling the financial crisis, and seeing their own finances suffer as a result. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, credit cards, loans, banks

Are you relying on your property for your retirement?

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Industry officials are forever warning us of the importance of thinking about the future in terms of our retirement and ensuring that we have something in place that will enable us to live comfortably once we have retired. (more…)

Tags: retirement, mortgages, housing market

Are low rate high fee mortgages the way to go?

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

The property and mortgage market has been going through a huge amount of turbulence over the past couple of years, sending not only consumers but even the banking industry into confusion. (more…)

Tags: low rate mortgages, mortgage fees, low rate high fee mortgages

Lock in Your Mortgage at a Fixed Rate Now

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Mortgage brokers are advising homeowners with mortgages to lock in their loans at the low fixed rates as soon as possible because interest rates will soon start to rise in a significant way. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, fixed rate mortgages

Thousands of mortgages each month being turned down

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Whilst there has been a lot of talk about ‘green shoots’ in relation to improvement in the economy, financial markets, and property sector over recent weeks, a report that was recently released by the Bank of England indicates that thousands of mortgage applications a month are still being turned down by UK lenders. (more…)

Tags: mortgage approvals, mortgage applications, mortgages

Many Brits Still Counting on Making Money From Property

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

Even though the housing market is in a slump and house prices have taken a direct hit, there are still millions of people in Britain who feel they will make enough money on the sale of their property to give them the funds they need for their retirement. (more…)

Tags: property markets, pension funds, house prices

125% Mortgage – Nationwide’s Boost To Those In Negative Equity

Monday, July 20th, 2009

125% mortgage. Just when most of us thought that we would never see figures even approaching 100% with regards to mortgages ever again, Nationwide appear to be thinking outside the box with this, distinctly against market trend, deal it’s offering to those trapped in the misery of negative equity. (more…)

Tags: 125% mortgages, nationwide, mortgages

Keeping Your Mortgage Payments Up to Date

Friday, June 12th, 2009

With interest rates starting to rise, many homeowners have gotten used to low monthly payments on their mortgage. (more…)

Tags: late mortgage payments, mortgage arrears, repossession, interest only mortgages, mortgage payments, mortgage insurance

‘Buy now, pay later’ on the rise

Monday, June 8th, 2009

These are uncertain times. Unemployment is on the rise, property prices have crashed leaving many with negative equity problems, savings are attracting low rates of interest and the nation has tightened its belt. Or so it seemed. There may be an area of growth right now after all- in the ‘buy now, pay later’ finance sector. (more…)

Tags: ], buy now pay later, financing, consumer spending

Is it a Good Idea to Lock in Your Mortgage at the Lower Rates Now Available?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

The interest rates for mortgages in the UK are at the lowest level they have been in 300 years. Many homeowners are wondering if they should lock in their mortgage at these lower rates in an attempt to save money on their mortgage payments. (more…)

Tags: interest rates, variable rate mortgages, lock mortgage rates, fixed rate mortgages, base rate, mortgages

Recession Forcing Britons to Do Their Own Renovations

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

The crash of the real estate market has dashed the hopes of many Britons who expected to sell their homes this year and move into large properties. The inventory of homes on the market is in excess with foreclosures and the homes that have been languishing on the market for many months. (more…)

Tags: renovations, save money, DIY, recession

Markets are Finally Opening for First Time Home Buyers

Monday, May 11th, 2009

When the real estate market started to show signs of decline in 2007, the first step taken by lenders was to tighten the lending restrictions for first time home buyers making it more difficult for them to obtain a mortgage. (more…)

Tags: 10% first time buyer mortgage, HomeBuy Direct, house market, first time buyers, mortgage deals, first time buyer mortgages

Are lenders being too optimistic about house price increases?

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Since October of 2007 house prices in the UK have been falling month on month, and have so far plunged by around 20 percent compared to their peak. (more…)

Tags: property market, mortgages, house prices

Tenant eviction numbers increase

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

According to a recent report there has been a notable rise in the number of tenants being evicted from private landlord properties, and this is as a result of the landlords being unable to keep up with repayments on the mortgage on the property, thus resulting in repossession of the property. (more…)

Tags: shelter, landlord mortgages unpaid, tenant evictions

Falling House Prices Affects the UK Real Estate Market

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

With the world in a recession, house prices in the UK have fallen to levels not seen since March 2005. There has been a drop of 15.1% in prices in the past few months and in January alone, the housing market suffered a 0.8% decrease in prices. (more…)

Tags: real estate, house prices

Will property sales rise over coming months?

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

There is little doubt that the past year has been a shocking one in the housing and mortgage sector, and the lack of mortgages and tighter credit conditions that have stemmed from the global credit crunch have had a severe knock on effect on the house market. (more…)

Tags: mortgage deposits, house sales, property market

Mortgage conditions become tougher

Monday, March 9th, 2009

As most people are already well aware mortgage conditions and credit conditions in general have become increasingly tough since the onset of the global credit crunch in the latter part of 2007. (more…)

Tags: mortgage conditions, mortgages

Situation with mortgages set to get tougher

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

In 2008 the UK went through a very turbulent financial period, and after ten years of relatively laid back and easy credit conditions many consumers felt the sharp shock of suddenly being unable to get their hands on affordable credit. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, credit crunch, bank rescue plan

Increasing Numbers of Home Repossessions

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

With the downturn in the economy that has thrown markets all over the world into a slump in recent months, the number of homes being repossessed by lenders is increasing at a rapid pace. (more…)

Tags: homeowners, repossessions

Now could be a good time to buy a property

Friday, January 9th, 2009

As most people are only too well aware the housing market is still going through a severe slump at present, with house prices plummeting and many struggling to sell their homes for as much as they hoped. For many the housing slump has proven to be bad news but for some people the plummeting house prices spell good news. Industry officials claim that cash rich consumers and those able to get finance could get their hands on the ideal property at a fraction of the original price, which means that getting your hands on your cream property may not be as difficult as it has been in the past. (more…)

Tags: property sales

Will the government’s homeowner mortgage support scheme work?

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Earlier this month the government announced further details relating to the homeowner mortgage support scheme that was first mentioned by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, at the beginning of December. The basic aim of the scheme appears to be quite simple – that homeowners will receive assistance and support with regards to mortgage interest payments for up to tow years through deferred payments in the event that they suffer a sudden loss of income through their employment or self employment. (more…)

Tags: government mortgage support, mortgages

Is there any point forecasting house prices for next year?

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Each year a number of major lenders in the UK, along with the Council of Mortgage Lenders, tend to prepare a forecast for house prices in the UK over the coming year. However, this year has been very different, largely due to the turbulent housing market, tumbling house prices, and the unpredictable climate. In fact, it has become increasingly difficult for even industry experts to predict what will happen with house prices over the coming year, and this is why some have decided not to bother. (more…)

Tags: house prices

First time buyers paying a fortune on mortgages

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

Things have not been easy for the average first time buyers for many years when it comes to getting onto the property ladder. The last ten years has seen many first time buyers priced out of the market, as property prices in the UK have rocketed, leaving many unable to entertain the idea of getting on to the property ladder because of the cost of buying a home. However, property prices have been falling over the past year, and are expected to continue falling for the foreseeable future. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, first time buyers

Rates on personal loans have soared

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Most people are well aware that the financial sector has been deeply affected over the past year as a result of the global credit crunch, which has affected all sectors of the financial industry and has seen credit conditions become far tighter and borrowing rates become far more expensive.

However, over the past year the base interest rate has fallen a number of times, and in particular over the past two months, which has seen 2 percent sliced from the base rate. The base interest rate is now at 3 percent, which is almost half what it was a year ago, at 5.75 percent. (more…)

Tags: base rate, personal loans, moneysupermarket

Drop in mortgage approvals as consumers spend deposits elsewhere

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

Reports have shown that October saw a further decrease in mortgage approval levels, falling by nearly two thousand compared to September and plunging by a massive 52 percent compared to October of last year. It is thought that part of the reason behind the fall in mortgage approval levels is that consumers have found other things on which to spend their deposits, particularly with Christmas just around the corner and very little availability of credit for many consumers. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, mortgage approvals

Are you facing repossession?

Monday, December 15th, 2008

If you are in danger of facing repossession at the moment then you are not alone, as there has been a sharp increase in the level of repossessions of late, with more and more homeowners losing their homes. In fact, figures have recently been released that show the level of repossessions for the third quarter of the year up to end of September increased by around 12 percent, to around 11,300. The figures have been released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, house market, repossession

What will our Christmas spending be like this year?

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Many consumers in the UK have had a very difficult financial year over the past twelve months for a number of reasons. Whilst interest rates have now dropped to 3% after some drastic cuts by the Bank of England many have spent the past year trying to cope with high repayments, which has left them struggling to make ends meet. In addition to this inflation levels have soared to record highs, which has also affected consumer finances. The cost of food has rocketed, petrol prices have soared, and energy bills have gone through the roof, which means that all in all it has been a very bleak year for most people financially. (more…)

Tags: christmas spending, credit crunch

Is now the time to take out PPI?

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

The subject of PPI, or Payment Protection Insurance, has been a controversial one for the past couple of years, with a huge amount of controversy relating to the mis-selling or this cover, and financial authorities really clamping down on lenders and providers that are found to be breaching guidelines relating to PPI sales. The bad press has resulted in more people either deciding not to take out this cover over the past couple of years, or has resulted in fewer policies being taken out because of reduced pressure from lenders and providers who are aware of the crackdown by authorities such as the Financial Services Authority. (more…)

Tags: payment protection insurance, PPI

Borrowers may start to see rate cut benefits

Monday, December 8th, 2008

According to recent reports many borrowers may start to benefit from the recent base interest rate cuts, as many lenders – under pressure from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown – are now responding the recent rate cuts, and are cutting their own borrowing interest rates accordingly. In October of this year the Bank of England, along with other global central banks, applied a surprise base rate cut of 0.5% a day before the scheduled Monetary Policy Committee meeting, which is where interest rate movement is normally determined. (more…)

Tags: rate cuts, bank of england

How will buy to let landlords fare after B&B collapse?

Monday, November 24th, 2008

The recent collapse and part nationalisation of Bradford and Bingley came as a shock to some, and none more so than the many buy to let landlords that have been affected by what has happened to the lenders. The Bradford & Bingley has been a primarily buy to let lender, and many landlords may have had buy to let mortgages with the lender set at special rates for a fixed period. Moreover many of these landlords may be due to come off these set rates, and this could prove to be a problem for some. (more…)

Tags: bradford & bingley, buy to let mortgages, mortgages

Is the current house price crash worse than that of the 1990s?

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

As most people are only too aware the value of property has been falling month on month for the past year, and property prices have plummeted since they hit their peak last October. Many homeowners have seen thousands of pounds wiped off the value of their homes in the space of just one year, and those that bought their properties more recently are facing the threat of negative equity, where they end up owing more on their home than the property is actually worth. (more…)

Tags: house prices, 1990 house price crash

Competition Commission concerned over competition with PPI

Monday, November 10th, 2008

The financial news has been filled with stories about problems relating to payment protection insurance or PPI, with evidence that this insurance has been mis-sold to consumers for a number of years, and that lenders were using a range of tactics to try and make borrowers take out this cover when taking out finance. (more…)

Tags: PPI, FSA

How can you get your hands on a cheaper property?

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

The value of properties across the UK has been falling over the past year, and it is thought that house prices now are around 13% lower than they were at their peak, which was last October. However, despite the house prices falls the ten year housing boom over the past decade means that the cost of purchasing a property in the UK can still be very high. Many would be buyers are still nervous about whether or not to take the plunge and buy a property due to fears over continuing house price falls, which could leave many facing negative equity. (more…)

Tags: property prices

Could struggling homeowners get help due to new regulations?

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Over the past year many homeowners have lost their homes to repossession as a result of falling behind on mortgage repayments as credit conditions have become more difficult and living costs have soared. With the financial markets and the housing markets in their worst state in decades the government has decided to take action and try and help struggling homeowners by bringing in new regulations relating to repossessions by lenders. (more…)

Tags: homeowners

Are firmer regulations needed over sale and rent back firms?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Over the last couple of years we have heard more and more about sale and rent back schemes, which many of us may never have heard of before. However, since interest rates started to soar in 2006, many homeowners found that they were not able to keep up with rising mortgage repayments, and this resulted in them having to take drastic action to avoid losing their homes altogether. The problems have become worse over the past year as a result of soaring living costs, rising bills, and tighter credit conditions, which have all adversely affected the ability of many homeowners to keep on top of their mortgage repayments. (more…)

Tags: sale and rent back

FOS still cracking down on loan insurance

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Although the subject of loan insurance, otherwise known as Payment Protection Insurance or PPI, has been at the centre of heated controversy for some time, this product still continues to attract complaints from customers and concerns from a variety of industry professionals. In fact, the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, and the Financial Ombudsman Service are continuing to crack down when it comes to PPI, having already imposed sky high fines on some lenders and companies that have been found to have been mis-selling this form of cover. (more…)

Tags: financial ombudsman, competition commission, FSA

FOS and FSA still cracking down on loan insurance

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Although the subject of loan insurance, otherwise known as Payment Protection Insurance or PPI, has been at the centre of heated controversy for some time, this product still continues to attract complaints from customers and concerns from a variety of industry professionals. In fact, the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, and the Financial Ombudsman Service are continuing to crack down when it comes to PPI, having already imposed sky high fines on some lenders and companies that have been found to have been mis-selling this form of cover. (more…)

Tags: financial ombudsman, FSA, PPI

Mixed reactions on housing proposals from government

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

The government in the UK has made a number of new proposals recently to try and kick start the slow housing market, and amongst the actions taken by the government are a suspension in stamp duty for properties up to £175,000, and also the provision of loans for first time buyers looking to purchase new build properties. Industry groups and officials have offered mixed reactions to these moves, some of which can be seen below. (more…)

Tags: housing, government

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