Why did HSBC withdraw mortgage deals for new borrowers? June 9, 2023 HSBC has temporarily withdrawn mortgage deals for new borrowers as the turbulence that has engulfed the UK mortgage market over the past few weeks continued. The bank removed products for new residential and buy-to-let products on Thursday, with new more expensive deals becoming available on Monday. HSBC had originally set a deadline of 5pm on [...]
Housing market a ‘ticking time bomb’ as prices slow amid mortgage mayhem June 21, 2023 The housing market has slowed amid the mortgage crisis, with experts warning it is like a “ticking time bomb” before it crashes. This morning’s House Price Index from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show average UK house prices increased 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to April 2023, but this was down from [...]
Clintons: Card giant axes stores and hundreds of staff as it slips back into the red June 13, 2024 Gift card giant Clintons has fallen back into the red after laying off hundreds of staff and closing more than 50 UK stores, as its owners grapple with its customers' changing shopping habits.
Profit drops at Santander UK but boss Regnier hopes for brighter second half July 24, 2024 Santander UK reported a sharp drop in profit in the first half of the year but said there were signs of growing tailwinds for the rest of 2024. The Spanish bank’s UK arm reported pretax profit of £804m in the first six months of the year, down from £1.2bn in the same period last year. [...]
Labour’s plan to force banks to help on mortgages branded ‘risky’ and ‘counterproductive’ June 22, 2023 Labour’s plans to force banks to help struggling borrowers with their mortgages have been slammed as “risky” and “counterproductive”. The party says lenders should be compelled to help mortgage holders struggling with payments in a bid to avert a looming mortgage crisis as interest rates are expected to keep rising to bring inflation down. Shadow [...]
Mortgage commitments plummet to pandemic levels as rate hike jitters spook housing market June 13, 2023 The number of new mortgage commitments has fallen to the lowest levels since the Covid pandemic as speculation the Bank of England’s will keep on hiking interest rates rattles the market. As the central bank raised interest rates for the 12th consecutive time during the quarter, in a bid to cool inflation, the number of [...]
High interest rates set to dampen lending to firms in 2024 before rebound next year February 19, 2024 High interest rates are expected to limit banks' lending to businesses this year before a rebound in 2025, according to a new forecast, as sticky inflation and high interest rates dent firms' confidence.
Mortgage lending falls by a third as borrowers avoid bank switch stress tests August 29, 2023 Increasing pressure on the housing market drove down activity in mortgage lending and led to changes in the market, new data out today shows. According to UK Finance data, lending for house purchases in the second quarter stood around 30 per cent lower than the same period last year. The industry body said this stemmed [...]
Barclays announces £750m buyback after beating expectations August 1, 2024 Barclays joined other lenders in announcing sizeable returns to shareholders after performing ahead of expectations in the second quarter. In the three months to June, Barclays reported a pretax profit of £1.9bn, more or less unchanged on last year but comfortably ahead of the £1.6bn expected by analysts. The lender’s investment bank and its wealth [...]
Prospective buyers hit with fresh blow as mortgage approvals continue to fall June 1, 2023 Prospective buyers continue to suffer setbacks as fresh data reveals that mortgage approvals fell during April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases fell from 51,500 in March to 48,700 in April, figures from the Bank of England show, with experts predicting that the figure could fall further following the central bank’s decision to hike interest [...]