Posts Tagged ‘council of mortgage lenders’


First time buyers being ousted by buy to let

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

It has been claimed that a rising number of buy to let buyers are coming onto the market and that this is resulting in an even greater number of first time buyers being ousted from the market. There have been signs of improvement in the property market of late, but it appears that those benefitting the most are investors who are buying to let.

According to reports banks are far more keen to lend to buy to let investors compared to first time buyers for a number of reasons. Buy to let investors often have a lot of experience in the market, they have proven credit history and records, and they usually have a meaty deposit to put down, all of which helps to reduce the risk to banks. Many first time buyers, on the other hand, have little in the way of deposits, are purchasing property for the first time, and sometimes have little in the way of credit history. All of this equates to a higher risk for the banks.

The high demand for rented property, which has soared over recent months, has added to the interest in buy to let mortgages, with many people preferring to plough their money into property investment where they can make a good return on their cash rather than putting it into savings where they get little or nothing in returns in the current climate.

One official said: ‘Lenders are making no secret of the fact that they would rather allocate the limited funds they do have to the lower risk option of buy-to-let loans, with deposits of 25-40%, than first-time buyers loans with 90% loan to values. As a result, the buy-to-let sector is recovering at a remarkable rate, as investors are drawn back by the need for a long-term, low-risk investment for their cash.’

Tags: business, time, council of mortgage lenders, first time buyers, Business Finance, fact

Home repossessions fell last year

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

The number of home repossession seen in the UK last year is said to have fallen according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which were released recently. Over recent years repossession numbers have been rocketing, with many unable to keep up with their mortgage repayments and finding themselves at the receiving end of repossession action taken by banks and lenders.

In 2008 the former Labour government slashed the base interest rate to just 0.5 percent, which is the lowest it has ever been in the history of the Bank of England. It has now been at this rock bottom level for nearly two years, and there is no doubt that many homeowners have been spared repossession as a result of the increased affordability that the reduced base rate has brought with it.

This has been reflected in the figures released by the CML, which showed that home repossessions fell by around 24 percent last year, and there was also a 13 percent drop in the number of homeowners that had arrears of 2.5 percent or more. For many, the drop in the base rate was their saving grace, and enabled them to keep up with repayments on their mortgages and keep a hold of their homes.

However, despite the encouraging figures there are fears that repossession numbers could rise again as a result of interest rate increases, which are expected over the course of this year.

Michael Coogan from the CML said: “As we go through 2011, the number of people facing payment pressures may increase if interest rates rise, and as a result of the spending cuts that have resulted in reductions in the level of public support available. We will be monitoring developments closely, but at present we continue to expect the number of arrears and repossessions to be in line with our forecasts of 40,000 repossessions and 180,000 arrears cases as at the end of 2011.”

 

Tags: rise, year, number, support, Mortgage Lenders, council of mortgage lenders, grace

FSA mortgage plan delay buys consumers more time

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

It has been reported that many would be buyers who thought that they might be shut out of the mortgage market due to proposals that were put forward by the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, may be thrown a lifeline because of delays in approving the proposals.

For many people, including first time buyers, those on lower incomes, and self employed people, the proposals may have left them out in the cold when it came to getting a mortgage because of the FSA’s determination to crack down on lax lending amongst banks and make lending criteria far more stringent.

The plans put forward by the FSA included making far more detailed checks on applicants, and working out their chances of affordability over the term of the mortgage, factoring in the chances of base interest rate rises. This would mean that many people would be deemed as being unsuitable because of their finances, and would therefore struggle to get a mortgage.

The plans by the FSA caused an outcry from the mortgage industry, with the Council of Mortgage Lenders stating that the new proposals were unfair and unnecessary, adding that they would result in many people being left high and dry when it came to getting onto the property ladder. It has now emerged that the FSA’s own Consumer Panel has stated that a more indepth review of the proposals is required, which has resulted in the implementation of these proposals being delayed.

Final proposals will now be released next summer, and this has bought extra time for the people that may have been worried about exclusion as a result of the plans.

Adam Phillips from the Consumer Panel said: ‘We welcome the FSA’s decision to take more time in assessing the full impact of the MMR. It is essential that the regulator assesses the possible unintended consequences and side-effects of its proposals for the rest of the market.’

Tags: rest, implementation, self, Consumer Panel, Commercial mortgage, proposals, council of mortgage lenders

FSA plans could impact on property market

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, has found itself at the centre of a scathing attack by the Council of Mortgage Lenders recently over its plans to try and restrict mortgage lending in order to cut risks and reduce irresponsible lending.

The FSA has stated that it has plans to bring a number of measures in to restrict mortgage lending in the UK and cut out high risk loans, and this includes scrapping interest only mortgages, capping the amount that consumers can borrow, and slowing down applications.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has slated the FSA for its plans, stating that these measures could have a serious impact on consumers and house prices. The CML said that many people would lose their dreams of homeownership as a result of the measures, and property prices could be driven down.

The CML said that consumers were right to be concerned about the plans from the FSA, as they could have a serious impact on the housing market as a whole, and could leave many of those hoping to get onto the property ladder out in the cold. The group also said that the FSA had admitted that these plans would probably lead to property values in the UK falling.

Michael Coogan from the Council of Mortgage Lenders said: “This is just one of a number of unintended consequences of the FSA’s well-meaning but misguided proposals that the CML believes the UK’s existing 11 million mortgage borrowers have every right to be concerned about.”

The FSA said: “We are keen to ensure that people who can afford a mortgage can get one, and also to protect vulnerable consumers by making sure that anyone who does take on a mortgage can afford to pay it back.”

Tags: Financial Services Authority, council of mortgage lenders, mortgage, Mortgage loan

Reduction in the number of home loans in Scotland

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Official figures have shown that the number of home loans granted to people in Scotland experienced a drop in the first three months of this year. The figures, which were released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, showed that in the first quarter of the year the number of loans that were granted to homebuyers in Scotland fell by one third.

Between January and March of this year the number of home loans that were granted to homebuyers in Scotland came to 9700. Whilst this figure did reflect a drop compared to the final three months of last year the number of loans granted was actually 28 percent higher than in the first quarter of last year.

According to the CML the end of the stamp duty holiday at the end of last year played a big part in the reduced figure due to the increase in activity prior to the end of the stamp duty holiday causing a lull at the start of this year. Many of those that would have otherwise waited until the start of the year to buy a home ended up rushing it through at the end of last year in order to save the money that they would otherwise have to pay on stamp duty.

The total value of the mortgages that were granted to buyers in Scotland in the first quarter of the year came to more than £1 billion. The previous quarter, when the number of home loans issued was higher, the value of the loans came to £1.6 billion.

A spokesperson for the Council of Mortgage Lenders said: “The pace of recovery in Scotland at first sight appears slower than in the rest of the UK, but in fact throughout the current housing cycle, market activity in Scotland has followed that of the whole of the UK very closely, but with a lag of around one quarter.”

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, finance, mortgage, Scotland, Mortgage loan

Mortgage activity will increase this year

Monday, March 15th, 2010

A prediction with regards to mortgage activity in the UK has been made by the Council of Mortgage Lenders recently, with officials from the agency predicting that 2010 will see the level of mortgage activity in the UK increase. (more…)

Tags: Mortgage loan, mortgage, council of mortgage lenders

13 percent drop in UK repossessions

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Recently released figures have shown that in the final three months of last the number of properties in the UK falling into repossession fell significantly, as did the levels of mortgage arrears in the UK. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, mortgage, repossession

Lenders offer 125 percent mortgages to existing customers

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Over recent weeks a number of lenders have decided to bring back 125 percent mortgages, but these will only be made available to existing borrowers who have very good credit and need to move home. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, 125% mortgages, Conventry Building Society, Trinity Financial Group Limited, negative equity, mortgage, credit

Ban on self cert mortgages will not cut off everyone with an irregular income

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Since the UK’s financial regulator the Financial Services Authority announced plans to ban self certification mortgages in their current form there has been a lot of controversy.

(more…)

Tags: self certificate mortgages, Banking, self cert mortgages, council of mortgage lenders, finance, Lesley Titcomb, mortgage, Financial Services Authority, contract worker

Rise in the number of landlords obtaining buy to let mortgages

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Figures that have recently been released by a mortgage group have suggested that a rising number of landlords are adding to their property portfolios by obtaining buy to let mortgages. (more…)

Tags: Paragon, mortgage group, Landlord, mortgage, real estate

FSA accused of treating lenders like drug dealers

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, has been accused by the banking industry of treating both banks and building societies like ‘drug dealers at the school gates’. (more…)

Tags: Matthew Wyles, mortgage, Banking, Financial Services Authority, council of mortgage lenders

FSA voices concerns over recklessness of some lenders

Monday, November 30th, 2009

The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, has commented on the extent of the recklessness of some of the UK’s lenders. (more…)

Tags: Financial Services Authority, Jon Pain, Offset mortgage, Matthew Wyles, council of mortgage lenders, mortgage

Thousands of mortgages a month being turned down by banks

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Recently released figures have shown that every month thousand of mortgage applications in the UK are being turned down by lenders. (more…)

Tags: lenders, council of mortgage lenders, bank of england, mortgage approvals

Bank of England confirms negative equity figures

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

The Bank of England has recently confirmed figures relating to the levels of negative equity amongst homeowners in the UK following around twenty months of house price falls. (more…)

Tags: bank of england, council of mortgage lenders, negative equity

Regulator continues to crack down on mortgage fraud

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Since the onset of the global credit crunch in 2007 mortgage related fraud has become increasingly prevalent in the UK, as well as in other countries such as the United States. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, mortgages, mortgage fraud, Financial Services Authority

Home sales restricted by negative equity

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Lenders have recently stated that the number of property transactions and home moves is set to be seriously hampered by the fact that so many people are now in or facing negative equity as a result of plunging property valued. (more…)

Tags: negative equity, house4 value, mortgages, council of mortgage lenders

House price decline slowest in a year in March

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

According to industry official the decline of house prices across England and Wales continued in March, but was at its slowest level in the space of a year. In addition to this there was also an increase in sales levels, which picked up from record lows. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, house prices, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

CML releases official negative equity figures

Monday, May 11th, 2009

A couple of weeks ago the Council of Mortgage Lender released worrying figures with regards to negative equity levels amongst homeowners in the UK, claiming that 900,000 homeowners had been plunged into negative equity as a result of falling house prices. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, negative equity, council of mortgage lenders

Increase of two thirds in home repossessions

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Figures from the Financial Services Authority have shown that over the course of 2008 the level of home repossessions increased by around two thirds, as an increasing number of homeowners struggled to keep up with their mortgage repayments in the difficult financial climate. (more…)

Tags: repossessions, Financial Services Authority, council of mortgage lenders

Loan and mortgage fees could increase due to reforms

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Industry experts have predicted that the fees and charges associated with loans and mortgages from banks could soar in the future as a result of sweeping reforms planned by the government to stop a future financial crisis similar to the one that the nation has been plunged into now. (more…)

Tags: British Bankers Association, loan fees, council of mortgage lenders, mortgage fees

Increased availability of home loans unlikely in the near future

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

A recent report has indicated that it is unlikely that there will be any significant increase in the availability of home loans in the near future. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, mortgages, home loans

CML wants lower cap on mortgage interest rate reduction

Friday, March 6th, 2009

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has asked for a lower cap to be introduced, which would mean that mortgage lenders would not be expected to reduce their mortgage interest rates beyond a certain level. (more…)

Tags: Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme, council of mortgage lenders, interest rates, CML

92% increase in home repossessions in one year

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

During the third quarter of last year the number of people that were losing their homes nearly doubled, according to recent reports. (more…)

Tags: repossessions, council of mortgage lenders, FSA

House price forecasts put on hold by lenders

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

Two major UK lenders have decided that they are going to postpone making any house price forecasts for next year in the current climate, even though they have been forecasting house price movement for years. Usually the Halifax and the Nationwide tend to forecast prices for the coming year, but this has all changed following a particularly turbulent year for the housing sector where there are now mixed opinions on what will happen with house prices over the coming year. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, house prices

CML warns on rationing of mortgages

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

Officials from the Council of Mortgage Lenders have recently stated that the situation with mortgage lending levels may get worse, stating that whilst mortgage lending has certainly been rationed over the course of this year as a result of the global credit crunch and tighter lending conditions the likelihood was that it would be further restricted over the coming year. (more…)

Tags: council of mortgage lenders, mortgages

Parents providing help to many first time buyers

Friday, December 19th, 2008

For many years first time buyers have struggled to get onto the property ladder for one reason or another. For a number of years the problem has been the soaring price of property in the UK, but more recently, even thought house prices have been falling, other problems have emerged for first time buyers. This includes far tighter credit conditions, making it difficult for some first time buyers to get finance, and higher deposit requirements from lenders, which decreases affordability for the average first time buyer. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, first time buyers, council of mortgage lenders

CML stands up for mortgage lenders

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has recently spoken out to defend its member banks, after some banks were criticised for failing to pass on base rate cuts and were accused of making a profit. The CML insists that its member banks are actually profiteering, and recently released a statement to this effect. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, council of mortgage lenders, base rate, bank of england

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: house market, repossession, council of mortgage lenders

Lenders say they will pass on base rate cut

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Following the recent 1.5% base rate cut, and in response to calls from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, a number o major lenders in the UK have said that they will be passing on the full 1.5% rate cut to borrowers over the coming weeks. As hoped by the government this could help to ease the financial situation for many consumers, and could ultimately help to boost the flagging economy, as consumers find themselves with more money to spend in the run up to Christmas. (more…)

Tags: base rate, bank of england, gordon brown, prime minister, nationwide, council of mortgage lenders

Bad news on home loan numbers from CML

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

In a recent report released earlier this month officials from the Council of Mortgage Lenders claimed that the number of value of homes loans had fallen to the lowest level of record, with the number of home loans dished out in the month of August standing at just 42,000, which reflects a drop of 59% compared to one year earlier just before the global credit crunch gripped the financial markets in the UK and around the world. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, council of mortgage lenders

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