The mortgage industry is in complete turmoil at the moment as the result of the global credit crunch that swept across the UK last summer. Since this time the number of mortgage approvals has plummeted, the number of mortgage products on the market has plunged by two thirds, and many consumers have been left out [...]
Over recent months there has been a great deal of speculation with regards to house price movement in the UK, and a wide range of data has pointed to the fact that house prices are falling, which could create real problems for those that have recently taken out huge mortgages on expensive properties, although it [...]
Many people plan to make a large purchase each year, despite the fact that they may not have the funds available upfront to pay for this purchase. In the past this wasn’t too much of a problem, as most of us could enjoy pretty easy access to finance from a range of lenders, and getting [...]
There seems to be some confusion over just how the credit crunch is affecting building societies in the UK, with conflicting opinions from various officials within the building societies industry. When the global credit crunch took a hold it became quite apparent very quickly that the larger banks and financial institutions in the UK were [...]
A recent report indicated that many consumers with poor credit were becoming increasingly reliant upon mortgage brokers in order to find them a suitable mortgage deal, with many assuming that they will not be able to find a mortgage on their own due to their credit. Whilst it is more difficult to find a suitable [...]
Since the global credit crunch took a hold in the UK in the late summer of last year, there has been growing concerns over the state of the economy. Consumers were already facing financial difficulties as the result of five interest rate rises between August 2006 and July 2007, and consumer confidence levels had already [...]
For many months now the UK has seen the mortgage sector experiencing increased difficulties, with lack of funding resulting in the inability to meet demand and increased cautiousness over who to lend to and how much business to take on.
Home Information Packs have been shrouded in controversy since they were first introduced last year, with both supporters of the packs and those opposed to them arguing their side. Those supporting HIPs have stated that these packs contain all of the information necessary to make the sale and purchase of a property smooth, quick, and [...]
Since he came into office as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling has spoken very highly of long term fixed rate mortgages, and has made it quite clear that he believes that this is the way forward for the UK in order to try and bring stability to the housing and mortgage market, and increase [...]
Awareness over Individual Voluntary Arrangements, or IVAs, has increased over the last couple of years, with a number of firms putting out advertisements relating to this type of debt solution. An IVA is known as a softer alternative to bankruptcy and is designed to help those in high levels of unsecured debt to get out [...]
For the last couple of years payment protection insurance, known simply as PPI, has hit the financial headlines on a number of occasions, and this is because of a number of problems that regulators have picked up on with regards the both the sale and the effectiveness of this cover. PPI is a type of [...]
A fresh attack has recently been launched against some sale and rent back scheme firms by the homeless charity Shelter, with officials claiming that many of these forms fail to live up to their promises and rip off consumers in terms of what they pay for the property. These schemes have become increasingly popular with [...]
It seems that over the past year or so cheap mortgages have become a thing of the past in the UK, with the series of five interest rate hikes between August 2006 and July 2007 resulting in lenders hiking up their mortgage interest rates and reducing affordability for many potential property purchasers.
The recent announcement that Northern Rock is to remove its 125% ‘Together’ mortgage from the shelves may be the final nail in the coffin when it comes to sizeable mortgages for over and above the traditional 95% value of the property. Over the past week or two more and more lenders have been announcing that [...]
Many people find the need to apply for a loan in the UK for one reason or another, and there are all sorts of loans available these days from car loans to help you purchase a new vehicle to mortgage loans to buy a new home. You can also find a wide range of other [...]
When you are looking to take out a mortgage you have to decide what sort of mortgage is going to best suit your needs. There are two types of mortgage that often prove popular amongst property purchasers, and these are variable rate and fixed rate mortgages. There are pros and cons to be considered for [...]
Recent reports have suggested that first time buyers in the UK are still in the throes of an affordability crisis, despite the falling house prices and despite predictions that interest rates are set to fall a number of times this year. First time buyers have been experiencing affordability problems for some time now, and fewer [...]
A secured loan is a loan that is secured against the equity in a property, and as the name suggests, these loans are available to homeowners with some level of equity in their property. With equity levels rising at remarkable levels over recent years, as property prices have rocketed in the UK, homeowners have found [...]
If you’ve ever been offered a substantial line of credit with one company and been refused by another, it’s all a result of each company’s credit scoring policies. Your personal credit score may fall within the acceptable limits for one company and not for another.
These days, banks offer a range of products and services designed to meet the needs and wants of all their customers. Many branches will have a different advisors and customer relations managers who are assigned to the different customers of the bank. So for example, there will be a student and graduate advisor who will [...]
We hope in this section to guide and inform you of the pitfalls of getting a UK home loan. Which lender will give you the best deal and who will charge you the most. Here are our top five concerns that you need to look out for when making the decision of who lends you [...]
The average level of consumer credit continues to increase every year. Today there are more people in debt than ever before. This also means that there are more people having trouble making debt repayments than ever before.
Debt consolidation continues to grow in popularity as more and more people realise the savings they can make from doing so. Debt consolidation is a relatively simple concept. You first assess all your existing debts. Most people will have a number of outstanding debts from various sources such as credit cards, store cards, bank overdrafts, [...]
Virtually every adult in the country will have a credit report. This is a computer file stored on a database that will contain information on your personal details and status, you income, your occupation, the amount of outstanding debt you have and your past record of paying off loans. Lenders will then use this information [...]
There are many reasons why people borrow money, and just as many ways in which to do so. Common borrowing purposes can basically be divided into two categories. The first would cover things such as buying clothes and other purchases on credit cards, using store credit, and taking advantage of buy now pay later or [...]
With the rate that consumer debt continues to rise, it may appear to some like as if there is no limit to the amount they can borrow. This will appear particularly true if the debt is to be secured with a secured loan. However, all lenders still impose strict limits on the amount they will [...]
Once you’ve made the decision to take out an unsecured personal loan shopping around for the best deal can seem confusing at times. There are a large number of companies offering different kinds of deals with different APR rates, some dependant on length of loan term, amount you wish to borrow and in some cases, [...]
If you have payment protection on any personal loans that you may have made, did you know that you could be paying upwards of £2000 on top of the original debt including the interest? Probably not because the lenders are playing a percentages game with you that includes giving you something in one hand and [...]
How do you assess the cost of a loan?
According to the government, the cost of loan should be completely and clearly illustrated in one easy to compare figure. This figure is known as the annual percentage rate or APR.
The APR takes the true cost of the loan and expresses in a statutorily defined manner so [...]
If you’ve decided to take out a personal loan your committing yourself to a financial agreement that will not only usually last for a period of between 1 and 5 years but also will cost you money in fees and APR charges. Thus most consumers will consider it important to try and get the best [...]
