Moneyextra Mortgages & Homes News

Shareholders find security with paper

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:03 GMT

Despite the call for the 'dematerialisation' of shares, new research by Barclays Stockbrokers shows that many UK residents prefer to keep their investments where they can see them. Indeed, one in

Ways and means of a stress-free move

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:02 GMT

Moving house is up there with divorce and bereavement when it comes to life's most stressful events and the longer your sale or purchase drags on, the worst things get. But as this year's home-moving

Thousands missing out on compensation for caring

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:02 GMT

People providing substantial care for their spouse or partner are less likely to consider themselves as 'carers', putting them at risk of missing out on the extra cash benefits they're entitled to,

OFT to probe internet shopping

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:02 GMT

The OFT (Office of Fair Trading), in a just published report into internet shopping, concludes that the rapid growth of internet shopping is a success story that benefits both consumers and busine

Travel insurance - Watchdog gets expanded powers

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:02 GMT

Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Ed Balls, has announced that the Government intends giving City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) the responsibility for regulating the selling of tr

Consumer confidence on the wane

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:01 GMT

The Nationwide Building Society is reporting that its Consumer Confidence Index fell in June for the first time since December 2006. The fall reversed half of the dramatic rise in confidence recor

Buy-to-let - Void periods decline

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:01 GMT

Void periods on private rented properties (the average number of weeks they remain empty in a year) have been falling steadily for the last 9 months, according to the latest research by Paragon Mort

Tax credits - The Â£3.9 billion black hole

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:01 GMT

Losses from the government's tax credit system are "unacceptably high", the National Audit Office (NAO) has said - the spending watchdog confirming in a report that the system was losing up to

From the subprime to the ridiculous

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:01 GMT

If you've got a less than perfect credit record and are looking for a mortgage, you could find yourself carrying the unfortunate tag of 'sub-prime borrower'. The term sub-prime encompasses five or si

Housing market set fair?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:01 GMT

HBOS, in its latest economic forecast update for 2007, expects house prices to increase by 6% this year - this revision largely reflecting the greater upward movement in prices than expected during

House price growth stalls

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 GMT

Latest data from the Nationwide Building Society shows house price growth stalling in July - the 0.1% increase giving a year-on-year rise of 9.9%. This contrasts sharply with June, when prices ros

Halifax launches 25-year mortgage

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 GMT

Halifax has announced the launch of a new 25 year fixed rate mortgage set at 6.39%. The mortgage lender already offers a 10 year fixed rate mortgage at 6.29%, with a product arrangement fee of £49

House price inflation continues to slow

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 GMT

House prices increased by 0.7% in July, according to the latest data from the Halifax. This is the fourth consecutive month they've grown by less than 1.0%, confirming that house price inflation i

Affluent classes: Earnings grow twice as fast

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 GMT

New research from Halifax Financial Services shows that the "affluent" or so called "middle" classes have prospered over the past decade. Earnings of these households have risen by 42.8% over the pas

Calls for dormant accounts to help good causes

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:27:00 GMT

The Treasury Select Committee has said that banks should be forced to use money in dormant accounts for good causes. The scheme to use so-called unclaimed assets for good causes was first proposed

Pensions cost more than mortgages

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

The annual cost of providing a defined benefit (DB) pension exceeds the average home-owners yearly mortgage interest payments, according to analysis by investment management services group, Fideli

Cash is king for cautious investors

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

Investors continue to be cautious, according to Barclays Stockbrokers Funds Market top selling funds for April - June 2007. Investment figures show that volatility at the start of the year continued

Housing market - Rates start to bite

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

With interest rate rises beginning to bite new buyer enquiries declined at their fastest pace since August 2004, with the stock of unsold property on surveyors' books increasing to its highest leve

HIPs extended to 3-bed properties

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

The Government has announced that Home Information Packs (HIPs) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be rolled out to 3 bedroom properties from September 10th. HIPs and EPCs are being int

A&L revises mortgage range

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

Alliance & Leicester has announced a number of revised mortgage deals; including a new 2 year discount facility at 5.55% (SVR -2.34%) fixed until September 30th 2009, then the Standard Variable R

Financing your car - Make the right choice

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:59 GMT

The cost of financing your car could increase by 26% just by choosing the wrong loan. So claims money search engine, Moneyfacts.co.uk. Samantha Owens of Moneyfacts makes the point that with just ove

Lloyds TSB in new mortgage initiative

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:57 GMT

Effective immediately, Lloyds TSB is reducing the rate on its 2-year fixed rate mortgage and launching a further three new products (2 and 5-year fixed rate deals and a 2-year tracker). The 2-

Financial compensation service handles 22,000 claims

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:57 GMT

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) improved its service to consumers while cutting its costs during 2007/08, according to its annual report out today. At the same time, the Scheme passe

Halifax unveils market leading student account

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:57 GMT

Halifax today announces details of its new market leading Student Current Account offering. Applications for the new account can be made from Monday 4th August 2008. The account is available to both

Britannia launches new inflation linked bond

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:26:57 GMT

Britannia has launched a new range of Guaranteed Capital Bonds, including a brand new inflation-linked product. Available from 26 July, the new five year Inflation Linked Guaranteed Capital Bond (ILG