Posts Tagged ‘mortgages’


Nearly 10 percent of pensioners still have a mortgage

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Recently released figures have shown that close to 10 percent of pensioners in the UK still have mortgage related debt that they need to pay off. This is a far cry from the relaxed retirement that many pensioners may have once been expecting. The mortgage debt means that instead of enjoying their golden years many of these pensioners are having to continue working.

In some cases the pensioners still owe huge amounts on their mortgages, and have to look at remortgaging. The research was carried out by the over 50s specialist Saga, which provides a range of services aimed at this age group. Around six thousand people were polled as part of the survey, and the results revealed that 8.6 percent of those aged sixty five and over still had a mortgage.

Another report that was released recently indicated that this was a problem that would only get worse. The report was released by Policis, and showed that a massive 53 percent of people aged fifty or over with a mortgage had a loan that they would still be paying past their 65th birthday.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that there are 866,000 pensioners in Britain that are still working. There has also been an increase in the number of women aged 65 or over that are becoming insolvent, with the figure increasing by 42 percent. A rising number of older people have also said that they intend to borrow into their retirement to fund their plans for the future.

The director general of Saga, Ros Altmann, said: ‘There are a lot of people who are going to have to keep on working just to pay their debts. They have no choice.’ Speaking about the number of pensioners that have jobs he added: ‘It is an indictment of the way our savings culture has almost fallen apart.’

Tags: increase, specialist saga, choice, culture, indictment, debt, mortgages

Many people confused about mortgages and finance

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

These days the world of finance has become increasingly complicated, and a huge number of financial products and services means that whilst consumers certainly have far more choice they can also get very confused by the wide range of financial products and services that are available from different banks, lenders, and financial institutions.

In fact, a recent survey that was carried out has confirmed that the vast majority of adults in Britain are confused about a variety of financial products, which can be quite dangerous in the current financial climate when it pays to have some level of knowledge about different financial products and some level of understanding about how they work.

The study was performed by the University of Bristol and the insurance comparison site confused.com. As part of the study around six thousand consumers were polled, and the research found that a huge number of people were confused about various financial products suc

h as savings, mortgages, pensions, and more.

The study found that the least confusing financial product or service for consumers was credit cards, with 40 percent of respondents stating that they were not confused at all by credit cards. However, a massive 83 percent of respondents expressed confusion when it came to mortgages and pensions.

Banker bonuses created confusion for 84 percent of respondents, and 80 percent said that they were confused by changes to tax rates. When it came to unemployment rates 75 percent of those responding to the survey were confused. The survey even showed that 42 percent of people lay in bed at night pondering over this confusion.

An official from Confused.com said: “It’s not surprising that financial products and terms account for so much confusion in modern life. It’s easy to see how making decisions could lead to stress and worry.”

Tags: financial products, mortgages, finance, confused.com

Mortgage restrictions lead to increase in buy to let activity

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

For many people being able to buy their own property is an impossible dream at the moment, and this is because there are still so many restrictions within the mortgage industry and things are really difficult for those looking to get onto the property ladder. Increased deposit demands, more stringent lending regulations, and the increased caution being exercised by lenders is leaving many would be buyers out in the cold.

For many of those that are unable to buy a property due to these restrictions the only way that they can put a roof over their heads is through renting. The waiting lists for council properties and registered social landlords can be very lengthy, and for this reason many people are opting to rent within the private sector.

This increase in the number of people looking for properties within the private sector has impacted on buy to let mortgages and properties, with the number of landlords investing in buy to let property having increased in order to meet the rising demand of consumers that want to rent in this sector. Figures show that 10 percent of landlords said that they would invest in buy to let property in the first quarter of the year, but this increased to 12 percent for the second quarter of the year.

The data was released by the Paragon Group, which said: “Demand for property investment has remained strong during the recession and has improved since house prices stabilised. Landlords know that the long-term forecast for tenant demand is extremely healthy, with socio-economic and demographic changes leading to growth in the number of households calling the private rented sector home. Government figures show that the private rented sector is the only housing tenure that is currently growing.”

Tags: Renting, Private rented sector, Landlord, buy to let, mortgages, Investment

Sharp fall in popularity of fixed rate mortgages

Monday, April 19th, 2010

In the past many people that were buying homes opted for a fixed rate mortgage because of the increased peace of mind that these mortgages provided. Whilst the interest rates charged on fixed rate mortgages were slightly higher than on variable rates these loan types gave the borrower increased financial stability and peace of mind.

With the fixed rate mortgage homebuyers were able to relax in the knowledge that for a set period of time their mortgage interest rate, and therefore their monthly mortgage repayments, would not change even if there were changes to the UK base rate. Whilst this also meant that the rate and repayment could not fall most buyers were happy knowing that it would not go up.

However, due to existing market conditions it seems that the popularity of fixed rate mortgages has declined, with a sharp fall reported in the popularity and take up of these mortgages. For over a year now the base interest rate has stood at its lowest level in the history of the Bank of England, at just 0.5 percent. With this in mind many have decided that it is no longer viable to opt for fixed rate deals.

One mortgage broker, Ray Boulger, said that today’s fixed rate deals were more expensive than they were a year ago despite the lower base rate. He also said that the percentage of clients at his firm that were taking out fixed rate mortgages had plummeted from a healthy 80 percent to a paltry 20 percent, with many realising that tracker products were the best bet at the moment.

Mr Boulger stated: “I think you will see the proportion of fixed-rates continuing to fall on the CML reports for at least the next two or three months.”

Tags: mortgage, mortgages, interest rates, fixed rate

Fall of 10 percent in mortgage lending

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Figures that have been recently released have shown that for the month of November there was a drop of 10 percent in mortgage lending in the UK compared to the previous month. The figures suggest that mortgage lending in November hit the lowest level since May of this year. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has stated that the mortgage lending levels of November of this year were also down by around 14 percent compared to the same month last year. (more…)

Tags: mortgage amounts, mortgage lending, mortgages

Stamp duty suspension was not as useful as hoped

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Last year the government in the UK suspended stamp duty on properties between £125,000 and £175, 000 in value in the hope of helping to revive the struggling property market by increasing affordability for first time buyers. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, first time buyer, stamp duty

Increased demand for mortgage advice from first time buyers seen as sign of recovery

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

According to a recent report there has been a rise in the number of enquiries for mortgage advice from first time buyers of late, and this has been seen as a sign of recovery in the property market. (more…)

Tags: first time buyers, mortgage advice, mortgages

Borrowers being pushed onto costly fixed rates by lenders

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

A recent report has claimed that lenders are being accused to pushing customers onto expensive fixed rate mortgage deals that could see the amount that they owe go up by thousands of pounds. (more…)

Tags: fixed rate mortgages, mortgages

Mortgage lending propped up by first time buyers

Monday, November 16th, 2009

It has been claimed that the mortgage lending sector for the month of August was largely propped up by first time buyers.

The month saw a drop in the number of people looking to remortgage, but there was a return to the market – albeit a gradual one – of first time buyers who helped to keep the sector buoyant. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, fixed rate mortgages, first time buyers

Turnaround with buy to let reference checks

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

For many years landlords in the UK who have been looking to rent their properties out to potential tenants have always been careful to ensure that a credit reference check is carried out on any potential tenant to make sure that they are not experiencing financial problems that could result in them being unable to make payments on the rent. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, buy to let

90 percent mortgages withdrawn by Britannia

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

First time buyers have faced a number of problems when it comes to getting onto the property ladder, even though property prices have come down. Over the past couple of years banks and lenders have become reluctant to hand out mortgage loans, and first time buyers in particular have suffered because of the high deposit levels that lenders have been demanding, which most first time buyers have been unable to raise. (more…)

Tags: Britannia mortgages, mortgages

First time buyers get some good news

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Earlier this month struggling first time buyers in the UK received some good news after Abbey, which is owned by Spanish bank Santander, accounted that it was scrapping the legal fees on some of its mortgage loans. (more…)

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

90 percent mortgages available through Nationwide

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

High street lender Nationwide has bucked the trend in the mortgage market by offering 90 percent mortgages to borrowers, which has proven great news for the many first time buyers that have struggled to find the level of deposit that many lenders are now asking for. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, 90% mortgages

Mixed news on mortgage lending

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Over recent weeks data has been released that indicates mixed news in the mortgage lending markets. There has been much speculation recently about signs of recovery in the property and mortgage markets, and indeed some of the figures relating to mortgage lending levels have pointed towards recovery. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, mortgage approvals, mortgage lending

Shake up in store for the mortgage market

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Over the past couple of years the mortgage market in the UK has gone through some very tough times, and even now traditional mortgage lenders are being increasingly strict with regards to mortgage approvals, and are putting many obstacles in the way of borrowers that do not have large deposits and excellent credit histories. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, post office mortgages

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 buyer mortgages, first time buyers tips, first time buyers, mortgages

Some homeowners could benefit from not overpaying on their mortgage

Friday, October 9th, 2009

With interest rates at all time lows of just 0.5 percent many homeowners in the UK have seen their mortgage repayments fall, and some have decided to make the most of the situation by continuing to make higher repayments and overpaying on their mortgages. (more…)

Tags: overpay mortgages, mortgages

Percentage fees now charged on 50 percent of mortgages

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Recent research has revealed that an increasing number of mortgage lenders are now charging a percentage fee on their fixed rate mortgage products. (more…)

Tags: mortgage percentage fees, mortgages, mortgage fees

Payments on mortgages fall to lowest level in seven years

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Despite the troubled financial climate and the recession recent reports have shown that consumer do have some good news when it comes to their finances. (more…)

Tags: mortgage repayments, mortgages

New website launched by government for those struggling with mortgages

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

As part of the measures designed to try and help struggling homeowners and reduce repossession levels in the UK the government has launched a new website that is designed to help those that are struggling to keep up with their mortgage repayments. (more…)

Tags: mortgage help, mortgages, mortgage repayments

Growth in mortgage confidence reported

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

One financial website has revealed that a growing number of people are looking to move house, indicating that there has been significant growth in mortgage confidence. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, mortgage growth

No change to interest rates for September

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

With the September Monetary Policy Committee meeting having been held last week the Bank of England has announced that there is to be no change in the current base interest rate, which will remain at its record low of just 0.5 percent for yet another month. (more…)

Tags: bank of england, interest rates, mortgages

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

Soaring unemployment could lead to rising level of mortgage defaults

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

It has been reported that up to four hundred thousand homeowners in the UK could be defaulting on their mortgage repayments by 2011 partly as a result of soaring unemployment levels. (more…)

Tags: unemployment, mortgages, mortgage defaults

Mortgage lending continues to rise

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Figures that were recently released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that mortgage lending in the UK is continuing to rise following a very volatile eighteen months where lending levels plummeted. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, mortgage lending

Many middle class households may suffer due to interest only mortgages

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

According to industry officials there could be serious problems ahead for many middle class families who took out interest only mortgages, with many facing the prospect of being unable to move for many years to come due to plummeting property prices and negative equity. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, mortgage repayment, interest only mortgages

Many first time buyers have been seeking mortgage advice

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

It has been revealed in a recent industry report that many first time buyers have been seeking mortgage related advice in the current difficult financial climate, as they desperately try and get their foot onto the property ladder. (more…)

Tags: mortgages, first time buyers

Drop in mortgage arrangement fees

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Whilst much of the news relating to mortgage and housing affordability in the UK has been bleak for quite some time, there has been a little good news for consumers recently. (more…)

Tags: mortgage arrangement fees, mortgages, arrangement fees

Broker banned and fined by regulator

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Over recent years mortgage fraud has become a big problem in the UK as well as in other countries and the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, has been clamping down on this sort of activity through taking various measures including hefty fines and bans for those industry officials that are found to be involved in mortgage related fraud. (more…)

Tags: mortgage broker, Goldsparkle Consulting Services Limited, FSA, Grace Nmadibechi Ada Ukala, mortgages

Bank of China looks for prime mortgage borrowers in UK

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

It has been reported that whilst UK banks are restricting lending to borrowers from the UK some foreign banks are hoping to increase business by taking on some of the UK consumers who are struggling to get the finance that they need from UK lenders. (more…)

Tags: bank of china, mortgages, bank of china mortgages, prime mortgages

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