Tax dash boosts home buying April 16, 2012 February saw a sharp rise in the number of first-time buyers, according to figures out yesterday from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), as the stamp duty holiday’s end date in March drew closer. A total of 14,100 loans worth £1.7bn were taken out by first-time buyers in the month, up eight per cent by [...]
Housebuilder Bellway enjoys strong sales June 8, 2012 Housebuilder Bellway announced today that it had enjoyed a “resilient” spring selling season, with visitor levels and reservation rates having surpassed expectations. This successful period meant that Bellway’s target set at the beginning of the financial year of achieving 5 per cent volume growth is now “secure”. Reservations increased following the introduction of government scheme [...]
London Collections Men: day one January 7, 2013 The inaugural three-day showcase is back and bigger than ever AFTER A stellar debut last summer, London Collections: Men kicked off in style yesterday with David Cameron officially opening the festivities with a reception at Downing Street. This year’s event will showcase over 60 of the capital’s best menswear designers, cementing the capital’s position as [...]
Horse row no laughing matter – but NHS scandal even worse February 11, 2013 IF you agree to sell something, it is your responsibility to ensure that the product or service you deliver is exactly the one you and your customer agreed to. That applies to financial products just as much as to food. That is why I disagree with those who believe that the horse meat “contamination” row [...]
Mortgage woes grow for older house owners June 18, 2012 THE NUMBER of over-60s struggling to keep up with mortgage payments is on the rise, a leading counselling group said this morning, while separate figures show that people hoping to buy a home are being squeezed out of the property market. Among people who have a mortgage, an inability to keep up with payments is [...]
Mortgage approvals rise in March May 2, 2012 Mortgage approvals for home loans in Britain rose unexpectedly in March, suggesting the housing market continued to recover despite the end of a tax exemption for first-time buyers, Bank of England data showed. The bank said mortgage approvals climbed to 49,860 in March from 49,029 in February, confounding analysts’ forecasts for a fall to 48,000. [...]
Mortgage approvals rise in March May 2, 2012 Mortgage approvals for home loans in Britain rose unexpectedly in March, suggesting the housing market continued to recover despite the end of a tax exemption for first-time buyers, Bank of England data showed. The bank said mortgage approvals climbed to 49,860 in March from 49,029 in February, confounding analysts’ forecasts for a fall to 48,000. [...]
Paragon eyes bank licence to boost lending December 3, 2012 MORTGAGE provider Paragon, a buy-to-let specialist, has confirmed it is talks to buy Hampshire Trust, a private bank offering, in a bid at gaining a retail banking licence. Paragon yesterday said it was in exclusive talks to buy the business, which offers funding to property developers and solicitors, from the National Counties Building Society. The [...]
Loan export agency to dish out £1.5bn overseas to aid UK firms December 5, 2012 FOREIGN companies will be given up to £1.5bn of loans by the UK government to encourage them to buy British goods, under plans announced yesterday. UK Export Finance, led by minister Vince Cable, will get the cash from Treasury coffers to provide loans of up to £50m to any firm overseas that wants to buy [...]
Why the FTSE has rallied strongly in January January 29, 2013 THE FTSE 100 index has gained nearly 7 per cent since 2013 got underway, almost a month ago to the day. This is one of the most impressive starts to a year on record. Only two previous Januaries since the FTSE 100 was formed have beaten the current month (as of the time of writing). [...]