Mortgages remain by far the most expensive use of direct debits in the UK, with just over £500 million a year spent on repayments through the automatic system. Figures from the Halifax bank show that direct debits are now the Read more…

The US Department of Justice has opened up a new legal probe into the sale of a number of JPMorgan’s mortgage-backed securities. New investigations into the firm come as the Obama administration cracks down on supposed criminal activity in the Read more…

Some 96 per cent of those living in privately rented properties currently “dream of owning a home someday”, according to new research released by Rightmove. Despite affordability problems, 70 per cent of Britons surveyed said they will never stop trying Read more…

Some £18 billion was lent by building societies and other mutuals for mortgages in the first six months of 2013. Research by the Building Societies Association (BSA) revealed the positive results, which represent a 28 per cent year-on-year increase. The Read more…

One in two UK homeowners don’t understand the basics of offset mortgages. This is according to the latest Mortgage Mood report, which was published by the Legal and General Mortgage Club. A survey of 1,000 people shows that 52 per Read more…

The Welsh government has announced it is planning a similar scheme to Help to Buy. So far in England, the programme has been a big success and has led to a boom in the construction industry, which had previously struggled Read more…

Barratt Developments has issued a trading update that shows sales of its homes were up 17.9 per cent in the second half of 2012. While a number of economic factors helped the housebuilder to improve its balance sheets, it said Read more…

UK mortgage demand rose in the second quarter of 2013. The Bank of England, which has recently changed its leadership structure, surveyed major banks across Britain and found more loan applications had been sent by householders in April, May and Read more…

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has announced it will be making price reductions on a number of its long-term mortgage products. The ten-year mortgage at 75 per cent loan-to-value has been cut to a new low of 3.89 per cent and Read more…

People with poor maths skills are more likely to get behind in meeting mortgage repayments – often to the point of repossession. Scientists from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland found that those who displayed a fundamental lack of skills Read more…