StepChange appoints Vikki Brownridge as new Chief Executive

Vikki Brownridge, currently Director of Operations at StepChange, will become the charity’s new CEO on 1 May 2023, taking over from Phil Andrew who leaves...

Broker Conveyancing appoint two new Account Managers

Broker Conveyancing, the broker-focused conveyancing distributor, has today announced the appointment of two new Account Managers. Both Joe Hart and Natasha...

Countrywide Surveying Services and Family BS extends lead valuation partnership to reach 25-year milestone

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has announced the renewal of its partnership with...

One in six people has £20 or less to live on after paying for essentials each month

New YouGov polling by StepChange Debt Charity for Debt Awareness Week reveals the dire state of household finances over a year into the cost of living crisis,...

KYP announces new client tell.money

tell.money announced that KYP, a leading real time and proactive alerts risk intelligence platform, has been selected as a their global data orchestration...

‘Budget for Growth’ plays it safe, says RSM UK

‘This has been badged as the ‘Budget for Growth’ but for most individuals, this may be seen as the budget of bland ideas. The chancellor simply could not...

FLA’s response to the Budget

Commenting on the full expensing announcement in today’s Budget, Stephen Haddrill, Director General of the FLA, said: “When it comes to pro-business...

Certainty on energy bills, but ‘damage already done’ for many households

The Money Advice Trust has today welcomed  measures outlined in the Chancellor’s Budget to help households struggling with rising energy costs, including...

StepChange responds to budget

“It was vital that today’s budget set out bold plans that targeted support at the millions of households facing real financial difficulty following more...

Mortgage warning signs from the Bank of England

In the last three months of 2022, mortgages agreed for the coming months were down by a third (33.5%) from the previous three months, and down a quarter...

Surge in homes sales as estate agents hit the ground running in 2023

Estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed where the nation’s estate agents have been hard at work selling homes, as the number of properties...

Phoebus and Keystone complete mortgage book migration in record time

Phoebus has completed the smooth migration of Keystone Property Finance’s back mortgage book onto the Phoebus servicing solution in just seven weeks. In May...

New era for conveyancing as ONP Group integrates with ChatGPT

ONP Group, the leading legal services provider, is integrating its systems with ChatGPT in order to remove administration tasks and enhance its customer...

Property values yet to recover from the 2008 market crash

Research from eXp UK, the network of personal estate agents, has revealed that while widespread fears of a current market downturn are yet to materialise, some...

Over 90% of Brits worried about April price rises according to Money Wellness

With a typical household’s bills set to rise by nearly £1,300 a year from April, a study by Money Wellness, a wellbeing platform specialising in free debt...

Weakening pound hands foreign homebuyers £40,000 discount despite an increase in property prices

The latest research by lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has shown that despite house prices continuing to climb over the last year, foreign buyers...

Money Advice Trust welcomes new FCA guidance to help mortgage borrowers

The Money Advice Trust has today welcomed new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance for mortgage lenders to support customers impacted by the cost of...

Consumer finance new business grew by 1% in January 2023

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 1% in January 2023 compared with the...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 3% in January 2023

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in January 2023 by 3%...

Consumer credit rates show signs of peaking after declines in first two months of 2023

Analysis of the latest Bank of England data on average quoted household rates from Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces,...

Newpay partners with THG to help customers spread the cost of online purchases

Newpay, a digital credit account that spreads the cost of online purchases, has partnered with THG to offer its customers a flexible and regulated way to pay...

Paradigm Protect add National Friendly to provider panel

Paradigm Protect, the directly authorised protection proposition – which is part of Paradigm Mortgage Services – has today added friendly society,...

Stonebridge outlines record-breaking growth at 2023 National Conference

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has announced continued strong mortgage application and completion growth throughout 2022 at its...

StepChange sees “startling” rise in demand for debt advice

More than 18,000 new StepChange Debt Charity clients completed full debt advice in January 2023, which is at least 22% higher than any single month in 2022,...

Bank of England Money & Credit – comment

Following this morning’s Bank of England’s Money and Credit data, Paul Heywood, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Equifax UK, commented: “Despite a...

Growth as MotoNovo’s Stock Funding Service Accelerates

Strong demand, record used car prices, and a struggle to source used stock were the key themes of the UK market in 2022. The signs in the year to date are that...

StepChange comments on new IVA outcomes and providers statistics

New figures from the Insolvency Service show nearly 88,000 IVA’s were registered in England and Wales in 2022, the highest annual number since records...

Freedom Finance renews partnership with the Centre for Social Justice until 2025

Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces, is renewing its partnership with independent, award-winning think tank the Centre for...

Energy price cap falls by a quarter – but our bills are up by a fifth

Ofgem has announced that the energy price cap would have been £3,280 from April – down £999 or 23% from the current cap of £4,279. In reality, the energy...

Later Life Lending Network Celebrates 6th Birthday with Impressive Growth and Milestones

The Later Life Lending Network is proud to announce its 6th anniversary, marking six years of exceptional service in the equity release industry. Since its...

Fintech start-up ‘ZIPZERO’ secures over £1 million in seed funding

UK fintech start-up ZIPZERO has successfully raised over £1 million in seed funding. ZIPZERO is a consumer app that allows users to receive cash rewards by...

The Money Stats – February 2023 – Fuel Poverty Grips as Cost of Winter Emerges

The UK is experiencing an unprecedented energy crisis as the true cost of winter begins to be seen, with many millions of households living in fuel poverty,...

The Power of Tomorrow: Top Trends to Watch in Energy and Utilities in 2023

In the wake of a tumultuous 2022, the UK energy and utilities sector is set to remain a major focus in 2023 as it navigates a complex landscape of intersecting...

Tandem joins The Right Mortgage & Protection Network’s lender panel

Tandem Bank has announced that it has agreed a partnership with The Right Mortgage & Protection Network to provide its members with access to Tandem’s...

UK consumer confidence hits highest level since April 2022

The latest consumer confidence index from Gfk, released today, has shown that consumer confidence rallied in February, following the historic lows seen in...

Access FS fuels further growth with training manager appointment

Leading mortgage and protection firm, Access Financial Services, has appointed Peter Phillips as the new training manager for its academy in a bid to have over...

Tell.money partners with Solaris to deploy Gateway solution

tell.money, the fintech that delivers innovative and rapidly deployable open banking services for banks and other account providers has contracted to integrate...

Shared ownership should be rebranded to attract the borrowers it is designed to help says Just Mortgages

Just Mortgages believes that the term Shared Ownership is acting as a barrier to the very borrowers it is designed to help. They state that feedback from...

New benefits calculator launched to help people find the support they’re entitled to

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has launched a benefits calculator in partnership with Scottish fintech Inbest. The free tool will be embedded into...

Pandemic property party over for first-time buyers as numbers slide -10.6% in a year

Research by the Gradual Homeownership provider, Wayhome, has revealed that while the pandemic market boom saw a record increase in the number of first-time...

11.5 million borrowing more – Freedom Finance urges shopping around

Today the ONS released data on debt and wellbeing, finding that more than a fifth of adults in Great Britain (22%, equal to around 11.5 million people)...

Nearly one fifth of UK landlords could fall foul to EPC rating deadline in April 2023

Research by leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK shows that nearly one fifth of UK landlords (18%) surveyed still have commercial properties with an...

Surge in personal loan requests as consumers consolidate their debts

UK consumer lender Fluro has today launched the first edition of its quarterly“Consumer Lending Newsflash”, examining current trends across UK consumer...

HMRC property transactions comment

Following this morning’s release of the HMRC monthly property transaction figures, Simon Webb, managing director of capital markets and finance at LiveMore,...

Comments on HMRC property transactions

The HMRC’s property transactions  show a 27% fall in January from December. Adam Oldfield, chief revenue officer at Phoebus Software, said: “This is a...

Property sales plummet: worst January in a decade

Property sales (non-seasonally adjusted) plummeted 27% in a month, to hit 77,390 in January. They’re 7% lower than a year earlier. Non-seasonally adjusted...

Quantum Mortgages added to Paradigm lender panel

Paradigm, the mortgage, protection and compliance services proposition, has today added specialist buy-to-let lender, Quantum Mortgages, to its lender panel....

The Future of Credit – finding out what consumers want

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) has published a major piece of research, undertaken by Britainthinks, that asked what improvements customers would...

Conveyancers urged not to compete with technology but build on the solutions it provides

Conveyancers who attended this year’s Conveyancing Association Annual Conference & Dinner were urged not to focus on competing with technology in the...

Freedom Finance comments on FLA consumer credit data

Consumer finance new business grew by 13% through 2022 compared to the previous year according to the latest FLA data in a strong year for the sector as...

Consumer finance new business fell by 4% in December 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business fell by 4% in December 2022 compared with the...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 6% in December 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business by value and volume fell in December 2022...

Paradigm launch latest Consumer Duty guidance video focusing on Price and Value outcome

Paradigm, the mortgage, protection and compliance services proposition, has today launched a new video providing an update for intermediaries on preparing for...

Consumer Duty the FCA Continues to Ramp Up the Pressure

Hot on the heels of a clear warning by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that too often, the mandatory Consumer Duty implementation plans were too light on...

January sales tempted squeezed shoppers: but it’s just a blip

Retail sales volumes rose 0.5% in January, after falling 1.2% in December. They’re still 1.4% below their pre-covid level in February 2020. Sales are...

Credit Card Spending Continues to Rise, According to UK Finance

“The latest card spending figures from UK Finance show the continuing impact of the ongoing cost of living crisis, with credit card spend for November 2022...

House sales drop by -30.5% with just one UK location bucking the downward trend

Research from eXp UK, the network of personal estate agents, reveals that reduced homebuyer activity has led to a -30.5% drop in UK house sales, and that one...

Credit card balances grow as cost-of-living crisis continues

There were 355.1 million credit card transactions in November. This was 0.3% more than in November 2021. The total spend on credit cards was £19.6 billion....

The Money and Pensions Service announces reappointment of Ann Harris OBE, CPFA, to its Board

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has announced that Ann Harris OBE, CPFA has been reappointed to its Board by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)....

House prices on the slide, tipped over the edge by mortgage hikes

House prices fell 0.4% between November and December (non-seasonally adjusted). Average house prices were up 9.8% in the year to December – down from...

CPI numbers do little to calm confusion in the financial aviary

Inflation continued to ease in January, with CPI falling 0.6% in the month, while annualised inflation slowed to 10.1% from 10.5% in December. The slowing rate...

A crucial time for both lenders and brokers – comment

Following the latest ONS CPI figures this morning, Adam Oldfield, Phoebus Software’s chief revenue officer, says “All in all the UK economy seems to be...

Cost of living crisis “far from over” with no let-up from high prices

Responding to Office for National Statistics figures showing the Consumer Price Index stood at 10.1% in January, the Money Advice Trust is calling for the...

StepChange responds to launch of new Buy Now, Pay Later regulation proposals

Today HM Treasury has opened a consultation on draft legislation to bring Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) lending under regulation of the Financial Conduct Authority...

Money Advice Trust welcomes plans for Buy Now Pay Later regulation

The Money Advice Trust has today welcomed plans to bring Buy Now Pay Later firms under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulation, and has urged the...

Pepper Money appoints new CFO

Pepper Money has announced the appointment of Andrew Voss as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Andrew has over 20 years’ experience in financial...

Record numbers return to work – just as work starts to wobble

We’re being driven back to work. There was a record flow out of economic inactivity in the year to October-December – driven by people moving into work....

Sara Weller appointed new Chair of MaPS

Earlier today it was announced that Sir Hector Sants would be succeeded by Sara Weller CBE as Chair of the Money and Pensions Service. Sir Hector, who has been...

Stonebridge adds Tandem Bank to lender panel

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has today announced it is the first partner of L&G Mortgage Club to gain direct access to digital...

Code regulator ramps up requirements to stop scams

The Lending Standards Board (LSB) has stepped in and made further updates to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code (CRM Code) in a bid to stamp out...

Together announces rate reductions to personal finance products

Specialist lender Together has today announced that it will be reducing its rates for its mortgage and regulated bridging products. The Cheadle-based lender...

Adra secures £40m sustainable funding to improve housing across North Wales

Adra Housing, North Wales’ largest housing association, has secured a £40m, five-year sustainability-linked loan from its new banking partner Lloyds Bank to...

Embedded insurer Companjon and European challenger bank bunq join forces to bring users digital insurance

Dublin, Ireland – Companjon, a leading insurtech specializing in digital-driven embedded insurance, today announced its partnership with bunq, the second...

LiveMore expands sales team

LiveMore has appointed three new sales staff as it continues to grow and establish itself as the ‘go-to’ mortgage partner for intermediaries advising...

BoE data: credit union loans at record high

New figures out this week from the Bank of England show that loans made to members of the UK’s 388 member-owned, not for profit credit unions stood at a...

Interest rate increase ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ – Commentary from personal finance expert

“Families are facing numerous challenges, and an interest rate hike is the last thing they need. The Bank of England argues that increasing interest rates...

StepChange backs FCA’s proposed Debt Packager referral fee ban

The Financial Conduct Authority’s renewed proposals to ban debt packaging firms from accepting referral fees are hugely welcome. With so many people...

Household costs increasing “at every turn” as interest rates rise again

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today voted to increase interest rates to 4 percent, a rise of 0.5 percentage points – the highest...

StepChange reacts to rate rise

The Bank of England’s announcement of a 0.5% rate rise today brings the base rate to 4.0%, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. StepChange Debt...

Comments on Bank of England MPC decision

Following the Bank of England’s announcement to raise interest rates from 3.5% to 4%, Andrew Gething, managing director of MorganAsh said: “With a clear...

Credit Union borrowing hits fresh record

Credit Unions are lending record sums to borrowers in the UK as the cost of borrowing continues to rise, according to analysis of the latest Bank of England...

Phoebus adds Mast to its strategic partner programme

Phoebus has partnered with mortgage origination software provider Mast, giving its lender clients the option of using the Phoebus servicing solution to create...

Consumer Duty a ‘watershed moment’ that firms must take seriously, FCA warns at PIMFA conference

The Consumer Duty is a “watershed moment” for firms offering investment services and financial advice, that must be taken extremely seriously, Therese...

Comment on BoE Money and Credit data

“December is traditionally a slower month for mortgage lending so it is no surprise that the Bank of England’s figures are low. But it is house purchase...

Credit card borrowing “U-turn” as consumers stock up well before Xmas

Commenting on today’s Bank of England Money & Credit data, Emma Steeley (CEO of Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces)...

Unsurprising, but what next? – Comment on the Bank of England money & credit figures for December

Following the BoE figures this morning, Adam Oldfield, chief revenue officer at Phoebus Software, says “Mortgage approvals in December were unsurprisingly...

Broker Conveyancing appoints new Area Director

Broker Conveyancing, the broker-focused conveyancing distributor, has today announced the appointment of a new Area Director. Charlotte Felton starts with...

European banks say that traditional money management tools are not meeting expectations

Personetics, the global leader in financial data-driven customer engagement for financial services today released a report titled Spotlight On Europe: Banks...

Just Wealth and Just Mortgages smash 2022 referral target by 20%

Just Wealth, the financial services arm of national brokerage Just Mortgages has revealed today that they exceeded their 2022 referral target from sister firm...

Reality bites for sellers trying to tempt wait-and-see buyers

House price growth slowed to 6.5% at the end of 2022. Supply is rising: the average agent has 23 properties for sale, up from a low of 14 in early 2022. Demand...

Loughborough Building Society added to Advise Wise later life lending panel

Loughborough Building Society has been added to the later life lending panel of Advise Wise to incorporate its borrowing into retirement product range. This...

The Money Stats – January 2023 – Alarming Changes Faced By Millions With UK Housing Market Upheaval

Following years of unbridled growth, average UK house prices are finally falling but this is doing little to offset soaring interest rates being faced by...

How long will the property market slump last?

The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed that while 155,000 home sellers could be impacted by a drop in house prices,...

Access FS reaches 200 adviser milestone after unprecedented growth

Leading mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services, has reached 200-advisers following an unprecedented year of growth. The six-year-old firm...

Recognise Bank simplifies corporate structure as its parent company delists

Recognise Bank, the digital SME lender and savings provider, today announces that its parent company, the City of London Group plc, has delisted its shares...

Study Says UK Will Lose its Leadership Position in Open Banking by the End of the Year Without Focused Action

A new report released has claimed that the UK, the first mover and, until now, seen as a global leader in Open Banking will lose that leadership position this...

Comment: Firms falling behind on Consumer Duty

Following the FCA’s new review of the implementation of Consumer Duty, in which it has been reported that some firms are falling behind, Richard Farr,...

LiveMore rebrands to confirm its place as the ‘go-to’ 50-90+ lender

LiveMore has rebranded with strong messaging that reflects its new broader product range. Now offering capital repayment mortgages as well as interest-only,...

Latest industry insight suggest property market is set for a strong return to form

The latest data from Credas Technologies, the leading identity verification provider, has revealed that a January spike in AML activity across the property...

Comments on FCA multi-firm Consumer Duty review

As the FCA’s multi-firm review highlights areas of focus for firms implementing Consumer Duty, Andrew Gething, managing director of MorganAsh said: “With...

Income gulf between rich and poor widened as inflation struck: ONS

In 2021/22, average household disposable income (median) was down 0.6% to £32,300. The poorest fifth were hit hardest, with disposable income down 3.8% to...

Rents rose again during Q4 2022, says The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS)

Average UK rents increased again during Q4 2022, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS). The UK’s largest protector of deposits’ quarterly...

StepChange Debt Charity marks 30 years of providing free debt advice

Today StepChange Debt Charity is marking 30 years of helping people deal with their debt problems. Originally known as The Consumer Credit Counselling Service...

Personal loan rates record highest ever quarterly increase

Unsecured personal loan rates are growing at their fastest ever pace, according to analysis of the latest Bank of England data from Freedom Finance, one of the...

Tenants pay as much as 43% of earnings on the cost of renting – Least affordable rental markets revealed

The latest insight into the rental market from Ocasa has revealed that the average tenant is paying 23.5% of their net earnings on the cost of renting,...

Mortgage demand plummets and debt problems mount: Bank of England

Mortgage demand plummeted in the wake of the mini-budget, and is expected to keep falling. Demand for credit cards and loans fell, and is expected to continue....

Broker Conveyancing launch new Survey product

Broker Conveyancing, the broker-focused conveyancing distributor, has today announced the launch of a new Survey product for advisers, in partnership with The...

Tenants pay as much as 43% of earnings on the cost of renting – Least affordable rental markets revealed

The latest insight into the rental market from Ocasa has revealed that the average tenant is paying 23.5% of their net earnings on the cost of renting,...

RICS: house prices fall, but energy-efficient homes come out on top

House prices fell for the third consecutive month. Buyer demand, the number of sellers and property sales were also down. More respondents said prices had...

Navigating the advice gap: Supporting financial advisers and consumers during the transition to retirement

The UK financial services industry is facing an impending “advice gap” as a large number of financial advisers are set to retire in the next few...

House prices fell in November: the days of double-digit house price rises are numbered

House prices fell 0.3% between October and November. Average house prices were up 10.3% in the year to November. This is down from 12.6% in October, and backs...

“Relentless pressure” on household budgets continues as inflation remains high

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose by 10.5 percent in the twelve...

Inflation inches down – what it means for spending and saving

CPI inflation fell slightly to 10.5% in December, from 10.7 in November and 11.1% in October. It could be downhill all the way from here – just very slowly....

£1.5bn released from property as homeowners turn to equity release to combat the cost of living crisis

The latest analysis from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed that the nation’s homebuyers are turning to equity release to help...

Access FS announces first 2023 academy start date

Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services, has unveiled its first academy of 2023. Last year, Access FS graduated 100 advisers over the...

Paradigm Protect add YuLife to Group Insurance Panel

Paradigm Protect, the directly authorised protection proposition – which is part of Paradigm Mortgage Services – has today added Group Insurance...

Wage figures show struggles of strikers, and the tide may be turning on jobs

In the year to September-November, after CPI inflation, real pay (including bonuses) fell 3.9% and regular pay (excluding bonuses) fell 3.8% – one of the...

COL crisis causes real wages to fall by 2.6%

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that: Growth in average total pay (including bonuses) and regular pay (excluding bonuses) among...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 6% in November 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in November 2022 by 6%...

Consumer finance new business fell by 6% in November 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business fell by 6% in November 2022 compared with the...

One in five people now borrowing to pay for food and other essential bills, with half doing so for the first time

Over 12 million people are now borrowing money for food or essential bills and half of them are doing so for the first time in their lives, new research...

LiveMore reinstates fee assisted mortgages and lowers RIO age

LiveMore is bringing back fee assisted mortgage products, which includes a free standard valuation and has no product fee, giving borrowers aged 50-90+ more...

House prices fall by as much as £315,000 since disastrous mini-budget

The latest market analysis by property purchasing specialist, House Buyer Bureau, reveals which areas of the UK have endured the biggest house price drops...

New rental stock accounts for just 16% of available homes

The latest insight into the UK rental market from Ocasa has revealed where the nation’s renters face the biggest hurdle in securing a home, due to these...

House prices have fallen in just four of the last 50 years

Research by peer to peer real estate investment platform, easyMoney, has revealed that while the property industry buckles up for a period of market...

OneDome acquires CMME Mortgages in quest to dominate the home buying space

OneDome, the Proptech company behind the world’s first eHomebuying platform, announces the acquisition of mortgage brokerage firm CMME Mortgage and...

Exciting times as The Consumer Helpline secures funding for growth via SME Capital in their first Welsh investment deal

The Consumer Helpline is delighted to announce a new ownership structure following a Buy-in Management Buy-out (BIMBO) funded by SME Capital. This is SME...

PayPlan continues Plain Numbers development as new staff members become practitioners

PayPlan continues to act on its commitment to improving its services for customers with low numeracy levels after a second wave of staff became Plain Numbers...

Rob Clifford appointed by the Financial Conduct Authority to its Smaller Business Practitioner Panel

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has today welcomed the appointment of Rob Clifford to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA)...

Level of new homes reaching the market for sale almost halves

Research from estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, has shown that the level of new housing stock entering the property market for sale has almost...

Cost-of-living round up- and what to watch out for next week

The annual growth of credit card borrowing rose from 11.5% to 12.2% in November. We withdrew £5.2 billion of easy access cash earning no interest and £1.6...

New version of LPE1 form to include Building Safety Act 2022 requirements launched by trade and representative bodies, including The Conveyancing Association

Trade and representative bodies covering the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors, including the Conveyancing Association (CA), have...

Foundation Home Loans appoint new Regional Account Manager

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the appointment of Sarah Hartwell as a Regional Account Manager. Sarah...

Rental demand drops as tenants tackle the cost of living crisis

Research from estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, has revealed that tenant demand has started to fall across England’s rental market, with...

Credit card borrowing spikes to highest level since 2004 ahead of Christmas

Consumer credit borrowing shot up in November with an additional £1.5 billion of consumer credit, driven primarily by credit card borrowing (£1.2 billion)...

Millions financially exhausted, but others power on: Bank of England

The annual growth of credit card borrowing rose from 11.5% to 12.2% in November. We withdrew £5.2 billion of easy access cash earning no interest and £1.6...

Bank of England Money and Credit Report – comment

Reporting on the Bank of England Money and Credit data published this morning, Leon Diamond, CEO at LiveMore, comments: “It has been an up and down market...

Comment on Bank of England Money and Credit stats

Following the announcement from the Bank of England today that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased from £3.6 billion to £4.4 billion in...

Cost of living pressures continue to weigh heavily on new StepChange clients

StepChange Debt Charity client data for November 2022 shows the cost of living is still the number one driver of debt among new clients, with more than one in...

Paradigm launch 2023 Mortgage Market Insight Videos

Paradigm, the mortgage, protection and compliance services proposition, has today launched Paradigm Insights, a series of short interviews with senior lending...

UK Personal Debt Rose a Third in 2022

Spiralling bills and costs have seen the average adult’s debt (not counting mortgages) in the UK rise from £25,879 to £34,566 (£8,687) in 2022, with four...

Money Advice Trust appoints new Trustee and Ambassadors

The Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline and trains debt advisers in charities across the UK, has today announced...

HMRC property transactions comment from Access FS

Following this morning’s HMRC property transactions announcement, Karl Wilkinson, CEO at Access Financial Services said: “It was a pleasant surprise to see...

Stonebridge appoints new Business Development Manager for the South West

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has today announced the appointment of a new Business Development Manager (BDM) responsible for its...

Rising Inflation And Falling Wages Spell A Financially Worrisome Christmas For UK Consumers

Sharp increases in the cost of living, coupled with a real terms fall in wages and existing Christmas spending pressures are causing high levels of financial...

Quarter of UK’s over-50s coping with rising prices

Christmas is coming and, for some of the UK’s over-50s, the goose is still getting fat. Inflation may be driving up the prices of food and fuel, but a...

StepChange CEO announces decision to leave in 2023

Chief Executive of StepChange Debt Charity Phil Andrew has today announced that he is stepping down in 2023 after five years in post. Phil will remain in post...

Moneyhub completes £55 million funding round with an additional £15 million investment from the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business – Phoenix Group

Moneyhub, the market leading Open Finance, Open Data, and payments platform, today announces that it has secured a further £15 million in funding from leading...

Comments on Bank of England MPC decision – time to focus on vulnerability

Following the Bank of England’s announcement to raise interest rates to from 3.0% to 3.5%, Andrew Gething, managing director of MorganAsh said: “Today’s...

StepChange reacts to rate rise

The half percentage point rise in Bank rate announced today, while expected, will be a worry to the four million mortgage holders already identified by the...

PayPlan wins Debt Advice Provider of the Year for successive year

PayPlan has been named Debt Advice Provider of the Year for the second year running at the Collections and Customer Services Awards. Peter Munro, Partnerships...

Edinburgh Reforms are ‘a positive step in the right direction’

Commenting on the impact on consumer credit regulation in the wake of the Chancellor’s Edinburgh Reforms, partner Whitney Simpson, said: “The...

House price growth back in double figures – but not for long

Average house prices were up 12.6% in the year to October. This is up from 9.9% in the year to September, but down from the peak of 14.8%  in the year to...

Freedom Finance launches improved auto finance service

Freedom Finance, a leading digital embedded lending marketplace, has launched an improved auto finance service – and is now able to offer PCP options (PCP)...

“Tough winter ahead” for many as costs remain high

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose by 10.7 percent in the twelve...

Britain’s new-build prices have grown by 24% since last Christmas

Market analysis by Unlatch, the new homes sales progression and aftercare platform for developers and house builders, reveals that British new-build house...

Autumn mortgage data shows impact of mini-budget shock

The Bank of England has revealed mortgage data in the run up to the mini-budget – which took place 7 days before the end of the period. The value of...

Eight out of ten Brits are cutting spending on gifts this Christmas

Eight in ten people (81%) are cutting the amount they spend on gifts this Christmas according to new research from Hodge, which found more than half (53%)...

UK Finance Mortgage Market 2023 – comment

”As I read through the Mortgage Market forecast for 2023 from UK Finance there was a certain amount of pessimism with a prediction of overall mortgage...

Comments on UK Finance mortgage market forecast

The UK Finance mortgage market forecast due for release this morning is for gross lending to be lower in 2023 and 2024 than this year. Simon Webb, managing...

Mortgage lending to fall 15 per cent next year, returning to pre-pandemic levels

UK Finance has today published its mortgage market forecast for 2023 – 2024, anticipating a softening in the mortgage market next year that marks a return...

FLA response to Reform of the Consumer Credit Act consultation

Commenting on the Reform of the Consumer Credit Act consultation, published today by Government, Stephen Haddrill, Director General of the Finance &...

Comment for the UK Finance Household Finance Review Q3

Following the publication of UK Finance Household Finance Review Q3...

Significant milestone – Financial Services and Markets Bill debate

Full steam ahead on a new personalised guidance regime. Clear demonstration of support right across the house. The Bill amendment called for by Harriett...

An overarching picture – comment on the UK Finance Q3 household finance review

Following the UK Finance Q3 review figures this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software chief sales and marketing officer, says “Although the data in the...

Report stage of the Financial Services and Markets Bill – comment

Following the report stage of the Financial Services and Markets Bill, Chris Hill, CEO of Hargreaves Lansdown said: “I’m delighted that the Minister...

Impact Specialist Finance launch semi-exclusive ExPat product with Dudley Building Society

Impact Specialist Finance, the leading specialist packager and distributor, has launched a brand-new ExPat mortgage product with Dudley Building Society. This...

Nearly one in three Scots will struggle to afford Christmas this year

Squeezed household finances and the highest level of inflation for decades have resulted in fewer than one in five (18%) of Scots saying they will comfortably...

Brokers react to turbulent changes in the mortgage market by recording low levels of satisfaction with mortgage lenders

New research out today from Smart Money People, the UK’s dedicated financial services review site, has found that broker satisfaction with UK mortgage...

Proportion of those who say they can afford Christmas has nearly halved since last year

Squeezed household finances and the highest level of inflation for decades have resulted in fewer than a quarter (24%) of people surveyed by YouGov for...

Halifax HPI: Biggest monthly price drop since the financial crisis

In November, prices were down 2.3% in a month to an average of £285,579. This is the third consecutive month of falls, and the largest since the financial...

Contact State responds to FCA’s proposals to clamps down on financial marketing

In response to CP22/27 – the FCA’s proposals to clamp down on illegal, unfair or misleading financial marketing – Alain Desmier, Managing...

Christmas on a budget – 87% of people will spend less than ever due to cost of living crisis

Christmas is usually the busiest time of year for people to spend time with friends and family, however, only 1 in 4 people surveyed say they will be going on...

MotoNovo Teams up With Click Dealer to Save Dealers Time and Money ….and there’s more

“Based upon my regular dialogues with dealers since the end of lockdown, one thing has dominated the daily lives of many of them; finding enough time in...

The host of Christmas past: celebrations cancelled as households look to save money

The cost of living crisis threatens the Christmases of 11m Britons as concerns over energy prices prompt them to cancel or abandon plans.1 According to smart...

House prices: first glimpse of mini-budget carnage, with more horror to come

House prices fell 1.4% in a month – the biggest monthly fall since June 2020. They’re up 4.4% in the year to October – down from 7.2% in September....

Money means more than health and family to over-50s

Having enough money is more important to the majority of the UK’s over-50s than their health or spending time with their families, a new survey has revealed....

IncomeMax and Vanquis partner to launch messenger service helping customers in financial difficulty maximise their income

IncomeMax has partnered with Vanquis, part of PFG, to launch a new online platform to offer customers digital access to one-to-one, expert advice to help...

Households feeling pinch as consumer credit remains supressed – BoE

“Consumer credit volumes remained suppressed in October with the £800m of new borrowing well below the previous six-month average of £1.3 billion. “This...

There are still opportunities in the market – comment on the BoE money & credit figures for October

“A fall in mortgage approvals and an increase in consumer credit shows that housing has fallen down the list of priorities as the rising cost of living...

The Money Stats – November 2022 – Consumers Turn Away From Traditional Credit As Interest Rates Continue to Climb

While evidence shows that many people are turning to credit in order to pay for essentials, concerns are growing that consumers may be diversifying which forms...

GetAgent Ranked 36th Fastest Growing UK Tech Company

Estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has been ranked amongst the UK’s 50 fastest growing technology companies in the prestigious 2022 Deloitte UK...

Home sellers forced to slash prices as buyers head for the hills: Zoopla

11% of homes have had their price cut by more than 5% since September, and one in four (25%)  have had some sort of cut over this period. Demand has plummeted...

30- and 40-somethings in the danger zone – especially after mortgage hikes

81% of people in their 30s and 40s are worried about the cost of living – compared with 76% overall. 51% of them are spending less on food and essentials...

eConveyancer launches partnership with The Right DA Club

eConveyancer has launched a panel management partnership with The Right DA Club. The agreement will provide Directly Authorised brokers working for The Right...

Austerity Christmas – Brits facing the grimmest December since WWII need to plan ahead, says ParcelHero

This Christmas is set to bring back memories of World War II. Some items, such as turkeys and eggs, are being rationed because of bird flu and an authoritarian...

Wage growth lags behind inflation for more industries and students feel the pinch

Wage growth in professional and scientific (such as legal services, management, engineering and scientific research) sat at 10.1% between July-September 2022....

Ofgem claims energy suppliers are failing vulnerable customers

In light of today’s news of Ofgem claiming that energy suppliers are failing struggling customers, Jayne Gardner, Partner at Shakespeare Martineau said:...

Comment on HMRC property transactions

Following the latest release of the HMRC monthly property transaction figures, Simon Webb, managing director of capital markets and finance at LiveMore, said:...

Signs of the market slowing – comment on the HMRC property transactions for October

Following the latest HMRC property transaction figures this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software’s chief sales and marketing officer, says: “The...

Home sales steady: but looming storm set to sink the market

Property sales (non-seasonally adjusted) were 110,850 – up 29% in the year to October. This needs to be seen in the context of the fact that September...

Today’s FCA Credit market study could offer vital help to borrowers

Commenting on the FCA’s credit information study released this morning, Emma Steeley, CEO of Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending...

32% of Britons say their bank isn’t doing enough to support them with the cost of living

A new independent survey of 2,000 UK adults has revealed how the cost of living is shifting the bank-customer relationship. It found: Over half (54%) are...

David Finlay joins LiveMore

Mortgage veteran David Finlay has joined LiveMore Capital as an executive consultant and member of the senior executive team. Finlay has been brought in on a...

The Autumn Statement will usher in an Austerity Christmas, warns ParcelHero

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement has gone some way to reverse the collapse in investor and consumer confidence created by previous Chancellor Kwasi...

Autumn Statement – “missed opportunity” to “reform outdated Consumer Credit Act”

“Today was a missed opportunity. Five months ago, the government announced its commitment to reform the outdated Consumer Credit Act, which has been on the...

StepChange reacts to Autumn Statement

StepChange Debt Charity has reacted to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The measures announced to support households in receipt of means-tested benefits...

Relief for some but ‘serious challenges remain’ for millions

In response to today’s Autumn Statement, the Money Advice Trust has welcomed the Chancellor’s commitment to increase benefits with inflation and provide...

Refuge responds to Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

“We are pleased to hear that the Chancellor has decided to raise Universal Credit and other ‘legacy’ benefits in line with inflation in...

Stamp duty shock is another headache for buyers

Jeremy Hunt announced that the stamp duty cut would be reversed in 2025. At that point, the nil rate threshold will be cut from £250,000 to £125,000. The nil...

Just Mortgages comments on Autumn Statement

“The budget may seem like a non-event where the housing market was concerned with stamp duty and planning remaining the same. However, it was arguably just...

Monitoring customer vulnerability must now move higher up the agenda

Following the chancellor’s Autumn Statement and the news of significant tax rises and spending cuts, Andrew Gething, managing director of MorganAsh said:...

Comment on the Chancellor’s announcement on Universal Credit

The Chancellor has announced that 600,000 more people on Universal Credit will need to meet with a work coach. Melanie Wilkes, Head of Research at the Work...

Council tax hikes set to send average above £2,000

The Chancellor announced that councils can raise tax by 5% without holding a referendum (3% plus an additional 2% if they have social care responsibilities)....

Energy bills set to hit £3,000 a year

The current energy price guarantee scheme will continue from April – at the higher level of £3,000 a year. There will be additional lump sums: £900 for...

Autumn Statement’s impact on consumers and businesses – comment

“We welcome the action from the Chancellor to protect people on benefits and state pensions, but the reality is that thousands of people up and down the UK...

Market Report: UK Autumn Statement in focus while mixed US retail picture drags down stocks

Inflation still causing jitters as retail sales in US indicate rate hikes not yet denting overall consumer appetite. Price spiral and high interest rates is...

Access FS grows 80% in one year

Leading mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services, has grown broker numbers by 80% so far this year.  This incredible statistic for the...

Selina Finance launches new homeowner loan and minor adverse products

Selina Finance has enhanced its product offering, introducing its new Homeowner Loan and a Status 1 adverse plan alongside its existing flexible Home Equity...

1.7 million Brits forced to borrow from high-cost lenders to pay off existing loans prompting fears of UK debt crisis

1.7 million people across the UK are borrowing from high-cost lenders in order to pay off existing debts, according to research from responsible lender,...

Three quarters of brits concerned about financial future with millions looking to bolster their income with side hustles

New research commissioned by Herbalife Nutrition has revealed that nearly half of Brits (45%) say that paying their bills is currently their biggest personal...

Increasing mortgage costs swallow 27.9% of household income – up 3.1% since last rates hike

The latest research by property purchasing specialist, House Buyer Bureau, has revealed that increasing mortgage rates are now likely to see the average annual...

An estimated £82.7bn worth of rental properties thought to be occupied by fraudsters

Market analysis from Ocasa, the specialist rental platform, reveals that almost 280,000 UK rental properties, with a combined market value of £82.7 billion,...

Earnings increase while unemployment drops

The latest statistics released today by the ONS on earnings and unemployment show that: The rate of annual pay growth for total pay was 6.0%, and the annual...

MagiClick appointed by Precise Mortgages to enhance digital customer journey

MagiClick has been appointed by Precise Mortgages, (part of leading specialist bank OSB Group) to create and deliver a website designed to enhance and improve...

Remortgagers driving forecasted lending increase in 2022 as homebuyer demand drops

The latest market analysis by mortgage experts, Revolution Brokers, has revealed that despite recent turbulence following a string of base rate increases, the...

Just Mortgages welcomes biggest ever broker academy intake

National brokerage Just Mortgages is set to welcome its biggest ever academy intake in November, with 23 applicants starting their journey to become fully...

Energy costs forcing people to change the way they live, Hodge research shows

New research from specialist lender Hodge has found 88% of British householders are concerned about the rising cost of energy. And, when asked if they have...

Loughborough Building Society extends criteria to include lending on flats

Loughborough Building Society has extended lending criteria across its residential, buy-to-let and shared ownership product range with the addition of flats to...

Access FS academy success continues to fuel exponential growth

Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services (Access FS), is about to run its next academy to help bring new people into the mortgage industry. ...

RICS: House prices fall in the South East as market grinds to a halt

House price growth stalled in October – after rising for 28 months in a row. In some areas, prices were falling – including the South East and East Anglia....

Consumer finance new business grew by 4% in September 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 4% in September 2022 compared with...

Money – Is it still the family taboo?

With the cost of living crisis, rising interest rates and proposed tax changes, our personal finances are currently a topic of daily public debate. Why, then,...

American Express adds nine cards to Freedom Finance’s growing credit card marketplace

Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces and embedded finance providers, is adding nine credit cards offered by American Express...

Halifax HPI: Third price fall in four months as confidence drains

In October, prices were down 0.4% in a month to an average of £292,598. This is the third drop in four months. It’s also the biggest since February 2021....

NewDay BondCo plc – Group results for the nine months ended 30 September 2022

NewDay, a leading digital consumer credit business in the UK, has today released its financial results for the nine months ended 30 September 2022 and its...

One in six UK adults have no savings

Nine million people across the UK have no savings and another five million have less than £100, according to new research from the Money and Pensions Service...

More than a quarter of landlords plan to sell properties

Brokers say that more than a quarter of their landlord clients plan to sell properties as a result of the current Buy to Let environment, according to research...

Comment: What does the increase in interest rates mean for interest free credit?

Yesterday’s news from The Bank of England raising interest rates by 3% will have a huge impact on consumers, especially as costs continue to rise and...

StepChange responds to FCA’s report outlining treatment of borrowers in financial difficulty following pandemic

StepChange Debt Charity supports and recognises the themes picked up in today’s key findings report from the Financial Conduct Authority on borrowers in...

Rising costs and increased interest rates creating a “perfect storm”

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has today voted to increase interest rates to 3 percent, a rise of 0.75 percentage points. Research recently...

BoE – Reaction from Mintago

“The fact that today’s interest rate decision comes in the midst of Pension Awareness Week should not be understated. In the current climate of raging...

BoE – Biggest Hike in 33 Years – Reaction

“The hikes are getting bigger. This is the single largest rise in interest rates since October 1989 and it will have devastating consequences for both...

Comment on BoE MPC decision

Following the Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates for the eighth time in a row from 2.25% to 3.0%, John Phillips, national operations director...

Rate hike adds to mortgage pain for homeowners

Today’s Bank of England rate hike, a 0.75% increase which takes the base rate to 3%, places mounting pressure on homeowners coming to the end of their...

Base rate rise – comment

“We were expecting a base rate rise of 0.75%, the biggest rise in 33 years, taking it to 3%, a rate last seen back in November 2008. “This year we have...

Comments on rate rise

Following the Bank of England’s announcement of a 0.75% rate rise today, StepChange Debt Charity says that mortgage holders on variable rates, and those...

Is it the only weapon in the Bank’s arsenal? – comment on the BoE interest rate decision

Following the interest rate decision today, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software chief sales and marketing officer, says “Today’s increase may be the biggest...

Consumers paralysed by “application anxiety” after credit declines

Millions of people in the UK are suffering from “application anxiety” following a declined credit application according to new research from Freedom...

Two thirds of consumers will happily invest or save money through a company that isn’t a bank, new survey reveals

Zurich – additiv, a leading embedded finance provider, today publishes the results of a recent survey in a new, in-depth report: Understanding the...

New members join MaPS Advisory Group

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has appointed two new people to its Advisory Group. Bernie Hickman, Chief Executive of Legal & General Retail and...

The Rishi Effect Yet to Reassure Britons, With 80% of UK Adults Still Lacking Financial Confidence, After New PM’s First Week

As Rishi Sunak completes his first seven days in office, new research has revealed that only one-in-five British people feel more confident about their...

Rental market boom on the horizon as homebuyers continue to struggle with rising mortgage costs

The latest research by Alliance Fund, the end to end real estate fund, suggests that should the property market continue to stutter, the nation’s rental...

Agents still selling up to a fifth of stock every month

The latest gauge of property market performance by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed which postcodes are home to the most impressive...

What does the changes to the US open banking regulation mean for open banking/open finance internationally?

“At the recent Money 20/20 event, Rohit Chopra, Director of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) made a speech discussing the US’s aim to...

MorganAsh and Moneyhub join forces to address vulnerability and Consumer Duty

MorganAsh, the leading support services provider, and Moneyhub, the market leading Open Finance, Open Data, and payments platform, are working together to...

Countrywide Surveying Services creates innovative new surveyor role

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has created a new surveyor role – Residential...

eConveyancer partners with In Partnership

eConveyancer has launched a panel management partnership with In Partnership, which incorporates The On-Line Partnership Limited and The Whitechurch Network...

Access FS launches letter campaign to help counteract estate agents undercutting brokers

Access Financial Services has launched a support campaign to give brokers the tools to fight back when estate agents put pressure on home buyers to use their...

Freedom Finance partners with Experian to add new brands to the UK’s widest panel of unsecured lenders

Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital marketplaces for consumer credit, is delighted to announce that it has integrated its platform with...

Credit Union membership grows to record levels

A further 28,000 people in the UK became members of a Credit Union in the year to Q2 2022, taking the overall membership of Credit Unions to a record 1.94...

Borrowing levels remain high as relentless squeeze on budgets continues

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit grew at 7.2 percent in September 2022, up from 7.1 percent...

Comment on BoE Money and Credit – Credit card spending collapsed in September after several months of strong growth

“Credit card spending collapsed in September after several months of strong growth, reflecting plummeting consumer confidence. With average quoted household...

Cost of living remains most commonly cited cause of debt among StepChange clients in September

Once again, September saw the cost of living being the most commonly cited reason for debt among new StepChange clients, with more than one in five (22%)...

House prices to fall 5% (Zoopla): should you put off a purchase?

House prices are likely to fall 5% in 2023, according to Zoopla. This would only wipe out eight months of growth (13 months in London and 6 months in Wales)....

Charity calls for urgent intervention in cost-of-living crisis as council tax arrears almost triple as high in the North than South of England

A financial education charity, The Centre for Financial Capability, is today calling on the Government to intervene in the growing cost of living crisis, as...

49.7% More People Want Interest Free Credit Cards This Year

New research by money.co.uk has confirmed a 49.7% rise in consumers looking to get interest free credit cards this year, likely due, in part, to the cost of...

Specialist bank appoints ESG director

A specialist business bank, celebrating its fifth anniversary, has appointed its first ESG director. Graham Reynolds, who has more than 30 years’ experience...

Mortgage Climate Action Group to host Green-focused buy-to-let webinar

The Mortgage Climate Action Group has today announced it will be hosting a new Green-focused buy-to-let webinar for the intermediary community. The webinar,...

Rising Household Bills Drive Financial Resilience Epidemic for UK Consumers

Consumers seeking to reduce essential bills by cutting back on energy usage are nonetheless facing serious impairment to their financial resilience levels,...

Talk Money Week 2022: Elifinty, Impact on Urban Health and Fair Money Advice call for ‘less talk, more action’ on transforming management of consumer debt

Ahead of Talk Money Week 2022, ethical fintech Elifinty, along with its partners Impact on Urban Health (IoUH) and Fair Money Advice, is calling on credit and...

Rent growth exceeds 2% for the second quarter in row, says The DPS

Average UK rents rose by more than two per cent for the second quarter in a row during Q3 2022, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS). The...

Larger portfolio landlords most likely to experience growth and maximise BTL opportunities

A webinar poll undertaken by Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, highlighted that larger...

Jifiti Launches B2B BNPL Functionality, Augmenting its Robust White-Labeled BNPL Platform

Jifiti, a leading fintech company, announced today the launch of its business-to-business (B2B) BNPL solution. Any bank, lender and merchant that caters to...

FCA: Millions of financial lives lie in ruins

One in four people are in financial difficulty – or would be if they suffered a financial shock. 4.2 million people had missed bills or loan payments in at...

Sales fall by a third, but house sales horror is yet to come

Property sales (non-seasonally adjusted) were down 32% in a year in September, but it’s not what it seems, because they were very similar to the previous...

Investors can still access competitive finance, says Hertfordshire finance brokerage

The mortgage market has largely been reported to be in a ‘state of chaos’ over the last few weeks, across both personal and specialist markets following...

Cost of credit cards and personal loans continue persistent growth

Analysis of the latest Bank of England figures1 from Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces, shows that rates on all major...

Stamp duty paid by homebuyers skyrockets by 62.6% in the last year

Research by estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, has shown that the sum of tax receipts paid to HMRC as a result of stamp duty spiked by 62.6%...

“No let-up in sight” for millions of households as inflation rises again

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 10.1 percent in the twelve...

OnLadder appoints marketing consultant

OnLadder has announced the appointment of David Swallow as a consultant to the business. David joins OnLadder with over 30 years’ experience in the...

Gambling needs more holistic management to reduce harm when it causes debt, new research suggests

Gambling treatment and support services need to dovetail better with debt advice, to ensure that recovery pathways for people affected by gambling harm are...

Countdown is on with two weeks to go until first Consumer Duty deadline

With just two weeks to go until the first deadline for the FCA’s new Consumer Duty, wellness specialist MorganAsh has developed a suite of must-have...

Just Mortgages comments on ‘mini-budget’ reversal

Following the announcement from the chancellor Jeremy Hunt of a reversal of many of the ‘mini-budget’ pledges, John Phillips, national operations director...

U-turns put us back where we were – Comment on the Chancellor’s statement

Following the Chancellor’s speech this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software’s chief sales and marketing officer, says “They say “a week is a long...

Hunt Statement – Energy Price Guarantee Scrapped – Reaction

“The rolling back of the energy price guarantee from two years to a mere six months is a huge blow to millions of Britons. People will simply be unable to...

Paradigm announced as next host of Power of 8 webinar series

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced it will be hosting a Power of 8 webinar on the rapidly changing mortgage...

Firms turn to tech and data to solve Consumer Duty woes as 38% admit limited knowledge of new legislation

Firms are overwhelmingly turning to technology in order to surface data and insights that solve the challenge set by the FCA’s new Consumer Duty according to...

People borrowed 20% more from pawnbrokers in the past year as cost-of-living crisis bites

The value of loans taken out from pawnbrokersas jumped 20% in the past year, with lending increasing from £144m to £174m says Mazars, the international...

Paradigm Protect add Cirencester Friendly to panel

Paradigm Protect, the directly authorised protection proposition – which is part of Paradigm Mortgage Services, has today added Cirencester Friendly’s...

Market on the turn, as buyers pack up and go home: RICS

Buyer numbers fell for the fifth consecutive month in September. Agents said they expected prices to fall over the next 12 months. Agreed sales fell for the...

UK mortgage broker industry to be worth £2 billion by 2025

According to the latest research specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, the UK’s mortgage brokerage market is estimated to increase in value by...

FICO UK Credit Card Market Report: June-August 2022

FICO’s report of UK card trends for summer 2022 (June-August) paints a picture of inconsistent consumer behaviour which will be challenging for lenders to...

Biding our time for ‘fiscal clarity’ – GDP comment

Following the ONS estimate for GDP this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software chief sales and marketing officer, says: “August already seems a long time...

Paradigm Protect launch new PMI proposition to member firms

Paradigm Protect, the directly authorised protection proposition – which is part of Paradigm Mortgage Services – has today launched a new Private...

Foundation Home Loans announces reprice of residential mortgage range

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the repricing of its full residential mortgage range for both purchase and...

Flexible workspace provider, beyond, ramps up support for SMEs amid cost-of-living hardship

Six months since successfully launching flexible workspace in London’s Aldgate Tower, beyond has launched a cost-saving initiative to make office space more...

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network celebrate 40 years of financial services for CEO at their latest flagship event

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network hosted over 350 advisers as they returned to the National Conference Centre for their second flagship event of the...

Consumer finance new business up 14% in August

Consumer finance new business grew by 14% in August 2022 compared with the same month in 2021. In the first eight months of 2022, new business was 21% higher...

Consumer finance new business grew by 14% in August 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 14% in August 2022 compared with the...

IE Hub has teamed up with Inbest to add benefits checks and social tariff functionality to the IE Hub platform

Currently, in the welfare sector, there are almost 8mn households that are missing £16bn in means-tested benefits. The most common reason for people missing...

Over half of FCA regulated firms have no plans in place ahead of critical Consumer Duty deadline end of October

Businesses are in danger of failing to embrace the opportunity that the upcoming Consumer Duty regulation presents and may not be compliant due to a failure to...

Access FS frees 70% of a broker’s time with administration services

Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services (Access FS), has today launched a new administrative service for its brokers. The service which has...

Eight in 10 people will stop saving money this year due to rise in cost of living

Eight out of 10 people (81%) say they will stop saving money this year due to the demands of the current cost of living, research shows. A study from...

One in two people struggling to keep up with essential bills – triple the pre-pandemic number

A new survey by YouGov for StepChange Debt Charity finds that 45% of all British adults – equivalent to 23 million people – have found it difficult to keep...

Smart Money People’s H2 2022 Mortgage Lender Benchmark open for intermediary feedback

Smart Money People, the leading customer review and insight website, has opened its doors for intermediary feedback to be compiled for its H2 2022 Mortgage...

UK Institute of Customer Service Index (UKCSI) Benchmarking Performance – MotoNovo Finance Delivers a ‘Stellar’ Result

The UKCSI is the UK’s largest cross-sector customer benchmarking study engaging with over 10,000 customers who created 45,000 responses across thirteen...

Over one in five Brits suffer from mental health issues due to their financial situation

Credit management company Lowell has conducted research[1] into the financial hardships facing Brits in 2022. More than a quarter (27%) of Brits don’t have...

Mortgage costs see second largest annual cost increase behind energy bills

The monthly cost of repaying a mortgage has seen the second largest annual spike, with just energy bills increasing at a greater rate according to the latest...

Mumsnet teams up with Chetwood Financial to launch new family-focused financial services

UK digital bank Chetwood Financial has today announced a new partnership with parenting forum Mumsnet, with plans to launch a new family-focused financial...

OnLadder appoints James Bishop as it prepares for launch

OnLadder has announced the appointment of James Bishop as a consultant to the business. He joins the start-up as it seeks authorisation from the Financial...

Continued rise in borrowing a sign of growing challenges households face

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit continued to grow at 7 percent in August 2022.  The annual...

Access FS protection panel exceeds 20 providers

Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services (Access FS), has exceeded twenty protection providers on its panel with the addition of its latest...

Major Interventions Unable to Steer UK Away From Recession

While significant steps from the government have led to inflation rates finally relenting, they have still failed to relieve concerns of the UK being on the...

House prices stalled even before mortgage chaos hit: Nationwide

The Nationwide House Price Index showed house price growth slowed to 9.5% in September – down from 10% in August. There was no growth recorded at all in...

Gareth Thomas joins Hodge as new chief people officer

Gareth Thomas has joined Hodge’s Executive team as its chief people officer. Gareth is the former director of people and organisational development at...

Mumsnet teams up with Chetwood Financial to launch new family-focused financial services

UK digital bank Chetwood Financial has today announced a new partnership with parenting forum Mumsnet, with plans to launch a new family-focused financial...

Effective creditor communication key to helping consumers in financial difficulty, says StepChange

A new report from StepChange Debt Charity and Amplified Global™ using the lived experiences of people in debt highlights the crucial role communications from...

More vulnerable people forced to turn to loan sharks as cost-of-living soars

Soaring energy, food and fuel prices have forced 1.2 million UK adults (2%) to turn to unscrupulous loan sharks in the last 12 months, new research from...

Housing market heat to remain as autumn spike in sales and sold prices looms

The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, suggests that while summer has well and truly ended, the property market is set to keep...

New chief of staff Anita Maclean appointed to drive Monument Bank’s progress around company goals

Monument Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Anita Maclean as Chief of Staff, effective on Monday 26th September 2022. In her new role, Anita will...

Consistency is the watchword for broker’s searches in August reveals criteria tracker

As the financial world is increasingly in turmoil and the UK is gripped by the perfect storm of high inflation, a cost-of-living crisis and a changing...

MorganAsh readies financial advisers for Consumer Duty with MARS system upgrades

The team at MorganAsh has announced further upgrades to its new adviser tool to help businesses better manage and evaluate consumer vulnerability. As...

Number of available rental homes falls by 40%

Research from Ocasa, the specialist rental platform, reveals that Britain’s rental stock has declined by more than 40% in the past three years leaving the...

FLA statement on Chancellor’s Growth Plan

Commenting on the Chancellor’s Growth Plan, Stephen Haddrill, Director General of the FLA, said: “The Government’s commitment to growth and investment is...

Conveyancing comment on mini-budget from ONP Group

Following the chancellor’s ‘mini-budget’ this morning and the announcement of changes to stamp duty, Nick Hale, ONP Group CEO, says: “The cut in stamp...

Just Mortgages comments on changes to stamp duty – mini-budget

As the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announces a permanent change to stamp duty as part of his ‘mini-budget’, John Phillips, national operations director at...

Reaction to mini-budget

StepChange Debt Charity has reacted to the Chancellor’s mini-budget. The measures announced today leave financially vulnerable households continuing to face...

Good news that housing is firmly on the government’s agenda – comment

“The SDLT reform announced today is something that the industry has been crying out for.  To hear the word ‘permanent’ means that we no longer have to...

Mini-budget a “missed chance” to help those on the lowest incomes

The Money Advice Trust has called today’s fiscal event a “missed chance” to help address the immediate challenges people on the lowest incomes are facing...

Rising interest rates and cost-of-living crisis to end reign of Buy Now, Pay Later

A catastrophic combination of surging living and energy costs, alongside a looming economic recession has highlighted the severity of Britain’s debt...

StepChange reaction to rate rise

StepChange Debt Charity says that, for the one in seven new clients to the charity who are mortgage holders, the prospect of a rise in mortgage rates on the...

Cost of consumer credit ratchets up again in August

Analysis of the latest Bank of England figures find that quoted household interest rates on consumer credit continued to rise in August amid an economic...

Landbay launches partnership with 2plan wealth management

Landbay has today launched a partnership with wealth management firm 2plan, whose financial advisers with mortgage permissions will now have direct access to...

Comment on the HMRC property transactions

Following the HMRC property transactions stats this morning, Richard Pike, chief sales and marketing officer at Phoebus Software, says “Once again the...

Second-charge mortgages increasingly popular option for prime borrowers, says Evolution Money Tracker

Evolution Money, the second-charge lending specialist, has today (21st September 2022) revealed the latest results from its quarterly data tracker, which...

10 million now behind on bills, as households face impossible choices

One fifth of UK adults are already behind on one or more household bill, and one in nine have gone without food as a result of rising costs, according to new...

Virgin Money appoints Sarah Wilkinson as Chief Operating Officer

Virgin Money has announced the appointment of Sarah Wilkinson as Chief Operating Officer. Sarah will join Virgin Money from Thomson Reuters, where she is the...

First 4 Bridging rebrands to Envelop

Packager First 4 Bridging (F4B) and the F4B Network has today (Tuesday 20 September) announced a full rebranding of the businesses and will now be known as...

Comments on today’s ONS retail sales figures for August

“With shoppers challenged by inflation, the rising cost of living and falling consumer confidence, the drop in retail sales volumes in August by 1.6% was...

High demand for advice as Just Wealth client referrals up 300%

Just Wealth, the financial advisory arm of national broker firm Just Mortgages, has seen a surge in demand for financial advice with client referrals up 300%...

House price growth doubles, but is not what it seems: ONS

Average house prices were up 15.5%  in the year to July – almost twice the 7.8% rise in the year to June. The is the highest annual inflation rate since...

Onus of responsibility for lenders now – comment

“Even though we are seeing the cost of fuel coming down on forecourts across the country, everything else is becoming more expensive.  The Prime...

Relief for millions but “serious damage already done” by soaring bills

The Money Advice Trust has welcomed the Government’s announcement of support to tackle high energy bills for households and small businesses but has warned...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 3% in July 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in July 2022 by 3% compared...

Consumer finance new business grew by 11% in July 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 11% in July 2022 compared with the...

StepChange reaction to energy price support measures

StepChange Debt Charity is pleased to see that the Government is reducing the immediate financial stress facing households through an additional intervention...

Parents twice as likely to have borrowed more and to be behind on bills: ONS

The ONS has published an article on parenting and spending – looking at overall spending before the cost-of-living crisis and some of the changes since:...

Recognise Bank Hires Bridging Specialist

SME lender Recognise Bank has appointed experienced BDM Andrew Keehner as its latest Relationship Manager, with a specific focus on bridging finance. Keehner...

Halifax HPI: market only looks rosy in the rear-view mirror

In August, house prices were up 11.5% in  year, and the average price hit a record £294,260. They were up 0.4% in a month – bouncing back from falls in...

Algoan bets on its responsible BNPL solution to penetrate and win the UK market

Now that it dominates the French instalment payment industry (Oney, Alma, Pledg, etc.), Algoan is targeting the United Kingdom with its Payment Scoring...

eConveyancer launches panel management partnership with Moray Group

eConveyancer has launched a new panel management partnership with Moray Group in Scotland. Moray Group includes multiple brands in the Scottish property...

OMS & Dashly announce collaborative integration

One Mortgage System (OMS), the seamless single-input enquiry to completion processing platform for advisers, has announced a collaborative integration with...

Stonebridge adds Connect for Intermediaries to further strengthen both its referral and packaging panels

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has today added Connect for Intermediaries to both its referral and packaging panels. The new...

Announcing the launch of Fluro

Today sees the launch of Fluro as an institutionally-funded embedded lender. The brand represents a new name and an ambitious refreshed strategy for Lending...

Paradigm adds Even to lender panel

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the appointment of Even to its lender panel. From today, Paradigm member...

Membership of Credit Unions and loan volumes both set new highs

Membership of Credit Unions continues to rise amid a growing hunt for affordable credit products as the cost of borrowing rises sharply and the cost-of-living...

The Conveyancing Association announce PEXA UK as new Affiliate member

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today announced PEXA, a digital platform for transacting...

Conveyancing Association seeks industry views on conveyancing process

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today launched a new survey of all conveyancing firms...

House prices set to rise by another £14,000 before the end of the year

Market analysis from London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, shows that – despite the wider economic backdrop – house prices could...

Atom bank accredited to the new iteration of the Recovery Loan Scheme

Atom bank, the UK’s first app-based bank, has been accredited to the latest iteration of the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) by the British Business Bank, and...

Cost of living pressures continue to drive new clients to StepChange

New StepChange clients are increasingly citing the cost of living as their main reason for debt. In July, 20% of clients who completed full debt advice said...

BoE credit card borrowing – set to spike ahead of energy bill hike as borrowing becomes more expensive

“Although credit card borrowing actually dipped slightly in July, it has been increasing over the last 12 months at the fastest rate since 2005 – plus...

Card debt surge at 17 year high, and fixed rate savings flood: Bank of England

Credit card borrowing is up 13% in a year – the fastest rate of growth for 17 years (since October 2005). Savings into fixed-rate accounts rose to £2.8...

Comment on BOE Money and Credit data

“Mortgage lending remains steady with an increase in gross lending but net borrowing is down slightly. This shows a slowdown in people taking out mortgages...

The pendulum is swinging – Comment on the Bank of England’s money & credit figures for July

“The resilience of the housing market against the current economic backdrop is becoming par for the course, but how sustainable this is remains to be seen. ...

Rise in borrowing a further sign of relentless pressure on household finances

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth rose 6.9 percent in July 2022.  The annual growth...

Comment on today’s Bank of England Money & Credit stats.

“Despite predictions of doom and gloom the housing market once again performed strongly with net borrowing in July only decreasing slightly from June and...

Majority of Brits aren’t confident in managing their money due to the cost of living crisis

New research from specialist lender Hodge has found that four out of five (80%) respondents aren’t confident in managing their money at the moment –...

Ofgem: “Rising energy prices detrimental to SME owners”

“The latest energy price cap increase is a fresh blow to the thousands of small business owners already at breaking point. SMEs are feeling the crippling...

Price cap mechanism is no longer fit for purpose – comment

“The energy price cap was meant to protect consumers from being charged extortionate amounts for their bills. However, today’s hike makes clear that the...

Households facing “no-win scenario” as energy price cap rises to £3,549

Ofgem has today announced that its energy price cap will increase to £3,549 from 1st October, an increase of 80 percent compared to April’s level. More than...

StepChange reacts to new energy price cap

Reacting to the news that the average household energy bill will rise to £3,549 in October, StepChange Debt Charity says that lower income households already...

Comment on energy cap rise – role of lenders

“With record high inflation, wage stagnation and exponential rise in the cost of living, this latest price cap rise will be the straw that breaks the...

The Money Stats – August 2022 – Consumer Spending Patterns In Upheaval

Soaring inflation, driven by the increasing costs of many of the most essential, day-to-day expenditure items for UK households, is causing significant shifts...

Foundation Home Loans ranks in top 10 lenders for buy-to-let

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has entered the industry’s top 10 buy-to-let lenders for the first time. It has also...

The Money and Pensions Service announces appointments of new non-executive directors

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has announced the appointments to its Board of four new non-executive directors. Marlene Shiels, Monica Kalia, Sara...

LiveMore and Connect for Intermediaries link up

Connect for Intermediaries is the latest distribution partner to join forces with LiveMore as the lender continues in its mission to expand mortgage lending...

Comments on today’s ONS retail sales figures for July

“Retail sales volumes rose in July (by 0.3%) as consumers enjoyed the start of the summer and maintained spending ahead of an autumn of energy price rises...

Impact Specialist Finance launch limited distribution buy-to-let range via MT Finance

Impact Specialist Finance, the leading specialist packager and distributor, has launched a brand-new buy to let mortgage range via MT Finance. This range is...

Wrexham-based Chetwood Financial named on Wales Fast Growth 50

Wrexham-based Chetwood Financial has been named on the 2022 Wales Fast Growth 50 list. The list celebrates the 50 fastest-growing firms in the Welsh economy....

eConveyancer launches partnership with Intra Private Finance

eConveyancer has launched a panel management partnership with Intra Private Finance. The agreement will provide brokers working for the Directly Authorised...

Paradigm further supports Scottish intermediaries by adding Scottish Building Society to panel

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the appointment of Scottish Building Society to its lender panel. From...

Stock Funding Levels Surge at MotoNovo Finance

The demand for MotoNovo Finance’s distinctive Supplier Direct Funding service continues to gain momentum. A record performance in July fuelled an...

StepChange responds to new inflation data

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 10.1% in the twelve months to July, up from 9.4% in...

Situation set to get “far harder” as inflation soars and energy price hike looms

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 10.1 percent in the twelve...

Crystal Specialist Finance continues expansion with BDM hire

Crystal Specialist Finance has continued to grow headcount by announcing a further recruit to the sales team. Jodie Worswick joins from Santander where she was...

eConveyancer launches partnership with Connect

eConveyancer has launched a panel management partnership with Connect IFA and Connect for Intermediaries. Established in 1998, Connect offers a full range of...

Summer season pushes asking prices off the end of the pier: Rightmove

The Rightmove House Price Index found that the average asking price dropped to £365,173 in August – down 1.3%. New listings are up 12% on a year earlier...

LiveMore appoints new head of sales and restructures

LiveMore, the leading provider of interest only mortgages to the over 50s, has appointed a new head of intermediary sales as it restructures for future growth....

Paradigm partner with Twenty7tec to provide technology benefits to member firms

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced a further commitment to helping its member firms benefit from the adoption...

Ensuring the right borrower outcomes – comment

Following the UK Finance arrears and possessions figures this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software sales and marketing director, says “Although the...

Bidding wars give way to more cheeky offers: RICS

Half of agents say average selling prices are no longer coming in above asking prices for properties worth up to £500,000. Sellers with properties costing £1...

Conveyancing Association launch Find an Expert service via website

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today (10thAugust 2022) launched a new ‘Find an...

LiveMore partners with Positive Lending

LiveMore’s distribution continues to increase following a new partnership with Positive Lending. Specialising in mortgage lending for the 50 to 90+ age...

PayPoint and Love2shop collaboration creates new solution to providing life’s essentials for the financially vulnerable

Digital payment expert, PayPoint, is expanding its range of solutions available to help local authorities financially support the most vulnerable people in...

Hargreaves Lansdown appoints Richard Caldicott as Financial Advice Director

Hargreaves Lansdown announces the appointment of Richard Caldicott, as Financial Advice Director, to head up the HL Financial Advice proposition. Richard has...

Together announces appointment of new Head of Clubs and Networks

Specialist lender Together has today announced the new appointment of Nick Parker as Head of Clubs and Networks. Nick will be responsible for the strategic...

OMS and Connect renew tech agreement

One Mortgage System (OMS), the seamless single-input enquiry to completion processing platform for brokers, has announced that Connect for Intermediaries has...

Recession on the horizon as BoE hikes rates to 1.75%

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has raised rates 0.5% to 1.75%. It’s the biggest one-month rise since 1995. It’s the highest rate for...

Interest rate rise to add to worries of homeowners

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has today voted to increase interest rates to 1.75 percent. Jane Tully, director of external affairs and...

StepChange says rate rise adds to cost of living woes for people experiencing debt

StepChange Debt Charity comments that today’s announcement by the Bank of England of a half percentage point rate rise is yet another pressure point for...

BoE is committed to its path of using interest rates to curb inflation – comment

“There are two schools of thought when it comes to raising interest rates to curb inflation.  One is that high inflation is bad and something needs to be...

Comments on today’s Bank of England interest rate decision

“By announcing the highest rate rise in 27 years to tackle 40-year high inflation, the Bank of England has shown its teeth and an unwavering desire to...

Consumer finance new business in H1 grows by a quarter v 2021

Data from the FLA today shows that consumer finance new business grew by 7% in June 2022 compared with the same month in 2021, reaching £9.8 billion. In the...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 12% in June 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in June 2022 by 12% compared...

Consumer finance new business grew by 7% in June 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 7% in June 2022 compared with the...

Sonovate announces new partnership with Demica as it continues to redefine embedded finance for the contingent workforce

Sonovate, the leading provider of embedded finance and payment solutions for the contingent workforce, today announced a new partnership with Demica, the...

Recognise Bank appoints Jean Murphy as CEO

Recognise Bank, the digital SME lender and savings bank, has appointed Jean Murphy as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Jean brings over 25 years of experience of...

LiveMore joins Sesame and PMS lender panels

LiveMore has been appointed by Sesame Bankhall Group to its 100-strong lender panel, enabling Sesame Network and PMS Mortgage Club members to access mortgages...

NewDay – Group results for the six months ended 30 June 2022

NewDay, a leading digital consumer credit business in the UK, has today released its financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 and has published...

Moneyhub boosts senior team with Mastercard and TransUnion alumni

Moneyhub, the market-leading Open Data and payments platform, has today announced the hire of Product Director, David Firth. David comes to Moneyhub from...

Zephyr Homeloans adds The Money Group (TMG) to its key partner panel

Zephyr Homeloans, the specialist buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage provider, has announced that it has added The Money Group’s (TMG’s) network to its key partner...

Paradigm launch ‘Summer School of Marketing’ to support advisory businesses

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today launched a brand new ‘Summer School of Marketing’ to support advisory businesses...

Rise in borrowing a sign that pressure is beginning to tell for many households

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth rose 6.5 percent in June 2022. The annual growth...

Businesses face ‘significant work ahead’ to comply with FCA’s new Consumer Duty

“The FCA’s new Consumer Duty aims to improve the retail financial market, provide a higher standard of consumer protection, but still drive...

For the first time, rising cost of living cited as most common reason for debt in June

For the first time, June saw the rising cost of living being the most commonly cited reason for debt among StepChange Debt Charity clients, with nearly one in...

BoE Money and Credit stats for June – commentary

“With much of the population still on fixed rates for their utility bills or mortgage payments, not everyone’s personal finances will feel the full brunt...

Increased Credit and Debt Reliance Fuelled By Record Cost of Living Increases

Worrying signs show a rapidly escalating reliance from UK households on credit and debt, in order to make ends meet in the face of record cost of living...

Heatwave cools off conveyancing enquiries, according to new data

As UK temperatures soared last week, conveyancing enquiry levels dropped, according to new statistics from a leading outsourced communications provider. Data...

Countrywide Surveying Services appoints Regional Director

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has announced the appointment of Mandy Spenceley as...

PIMFA welcomes extension of the Consumer Duty implementation timeline

PIMFA, the trade association for the wealth management, investment services and the investment and financial advice industry, has welcomed the Financial...

New Consumer Duty rules necessitate CCA reform

Commenting on today’s publication of the New Consumer Duty policy statement by the Financial Conduct Authority, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer and...

Second Charge Specialists Evolution Money Launch Digital Transformation with their New Nivo Powered App

Specialist second charge lender Evolution Money has partnered with fintech leaders Nivo to launch a new digital journey for customers and adviser introducers,...

Comment from Neil Kadagathur, CEO Creditspring on FCA Consumer Duty

“UK households have been in desperate need of added protections in the cost of living crisis so the Consumer Duty is hugely welcome news. The crisis is...

eConveyancer launches panel management partnership with Wesleyan Financial Services

eConveyancer has launched a new panel management partnership with Wesleyan Financial Services. The agreement gives Wesleyan advisers access to...

New Consumer Duty must do more for victims of economic abuse

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed plans to release its new ‘Consumer Duty’ which sets expectations for financial firms’ standards of...

StepChange says FCA consumer duty will create valuable cultural shift

StepChange Debt Charity warmly welcomes the FCA’s confirmation of its final approach to implementing the new Consumer Duty that will enshrine in regulation...

Hargreaves Lansdown comment on FCA’s Consumer Duty

“We welcome the FCA’s intention to use the consumer duty to create more flexibility for firms to compete and innovate in the interests of consumers.  This...

Stonebridge and Mortgage 1st extend partnership with new long-term deal

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, and Mortgage 1st, the Derbyshire-based mortgage advice firm, have today announced a renewed...

Stonebridge and Mortgage 1st extend partnership with new long-term deal

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, and Mortgage 1st, the Derbyshire-based mortgage advice firm, have today announced a renewed...

HMRC Property Transactions – comment

Following today’s HMRC figures on UK property transactions, Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services CEO Karl Wilkinson said, “The...

Together Financial Services – Together prices its largest ever MBS

Together Financial Services Limited (“Together” or the “Group”), one of the UK’s leading mortgage and specialist loan providers,...

By Maximising Discounts People Can Fightback Against Inflation

One of the more unusual sources of potential savings for consumers comes from leading motor finance provider MotoNovo Finance. The business’...

“Worst yet to come” with inflation hitting lowest incomes hardest

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 9.4 percent in the twelve...

Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) celebrates 35th anniversary with launch of Ambassador programme

Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), the not-for-profit membership organisation with the aim of ‘working together to improve the lives of people in debt’,...

Record fall in regular wages after inflation – and things are getting worse

After inflation, real pay (including bonuses) fell by 0.9% and regular pay (excluding bonuses) was down 2.8%. It’s a record drop in real wages. Before...

Asking prices boom, but that’s only half the story: Rightmove

Asking prices are up 9.3% in the year to July to a record £369,968, according to Rightmove. Buyer demand is down 7% in a year – but it’s still 26% higher...

‘A chance to transform lives’: Government urged to prioritise financial inclusion in £880m Dormant Assets distribution

Dormant Assets funding to be released by Government must continue to prioritise supporting people in financially vulnerable circumstances, urges Fair4All...

Open Banking Post-Pandemic Growth Driven by Digital Acceleration

Open Banking adoption is growing, driven by the rapid digitisation of finance – according to the data from global information and insights company,...

Half a million people supported by StepChange in 2021

StepChange Debt Charity guided, advised or supported more than half a million people last year, according to the charity’s impact report for 2021, published...

Conveyancing Association reveal results of 2022 Lender Survey to improve mortgage and conveyancing process

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today announced a number of results from its 2022 Lender...

Stonebridge launches new functionality to help advisers close the UK’s £2.4 trillion protection gap

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has launched new functionality in its wholly-owned trading platform, Revolution, that will help...

Cost of borrowing jumps again for major consumer credit products – latest Bank of England data

The latest Bank of England household interest rate figures1 reveal the cost of borrowing continued to increase in June across consumer credit products...

Access FS launches exclusive tie with Vitality to help new advisers

Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services (Access FS), has agreed an exclusive tie with Vitality in order to strengthen its training of brokers...

Octopus Real Estate added to Paradigm lender panel

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the addition of Octopus Real Estate to its lending panel. From today,...

Retailers benefit from credit surge after faster ever start to a year for store credit sector

Analysis from Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces, finds that the retail store and online credit sector experienced its...

Where the cost-of-living crisis is hitting hardest

Right now, across the UK, only half of people have enough money left at the end of the month. In 12 months’ time, in most areas this will fall to around one...

Freedom Finance appoints Emma Steeley as CEO as Brian Brodie moves to Chairman

Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces, is delighted to announce that Emma Steeley will be joining the company as CEO,...

Countrywide & SDL training academies raise over £3,600 in Route 66 Charity Challenge

Members of the training academies of Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), suppliers of valuation panel management services, and SDL Surveying, the national...

FICO Named Best Technology Provider for Data Analytics

Global analytics software provider FICO® was named the Best Technology Provider for Data Analyticsat the 2022 Credit Awards, presented at a black-tie dinner...

UNO Digital Bank builds on AWS

MANILA, Philippines — Today, Singapore-headquartered financial technology company UNOAsia announced it has built the UNO Digital Bank in the Philippines in...

Consumer finance new business grew by 20% in May 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 20% in May 2022 compared with the...

StepChange responds to new FCA and MoneyHelper research

New research from the FCA and MoneyHelper has revealed that many people in financial difficulty are missing out on vital support due to a range of factors...

Paradigm add Stafford Railway Building Society to panel

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the appointment of Stafford Railway Building Society to its lender panel....

25,000th Trustpilot Review for “Excellent’ MotoNovo Finance

Reviews are an integral part of the car buying process for most consumers as they assess the cars and dealers they are considering. Anything that can enhance a...

Barclays UK CEO Matt Hammerstein new chair of MaPS Advisory Group

Matt Hammerstein, CEO Barclays UK, is now Chair of the Money and Pensions Service’s Advisory Group, effective from 1 July 2022, taking over from Vim Maru,...

OMS partners with Step One Finance

One Mortgage System (OMS), the seamless single-input enquiry to completion processing platform for brokers, has partnered with second charge specialist lender...

Access to support “becoming more urgent” as borrowing levels remain high

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth remained at 5.7 percent in May 2022. The annual...

Payl8r calls for open banking to become a legal requirement for credit assessing the affordability of loans to borrowers

Millennial buy now, pay later (BNPL) finance firm, Payl8r, is calling for the adoption of open banking as a legal requirement for credit assessing in the same...

StepChange calls for pause on UC deductions for Government debt during CoL crisis

Suspending deductions from Universal Credit for Government debt would help plug the gap caused by the shortfall between the Government’s support measures and...

The Money Stats – June 2022 – Heavy Wage Falls Exacerbate Steepling Cost of Living

Wages falling at record levels are pushing ever more people into financial distress as living costs continue to skyrocket, according to the June 2022 Money...

Rising Interest Rate, Inflation Forecast and FCA Calls for Care

Spiralling inflation, which is set to continue into the Autumn with utility prices set to rise, saw affirmative action by both the Bank of England and FCA...

Just Mortgages launches panel management partnership with eConveyancer

Leading national broker firm, Just Mortgages has launched a new panel management partnership with eConveyancer to complement the existing offering of its...

Comments on today’s ONS retail sales figures for May

“The latest figures from the ONS show that retail sales volumes fell by 0.5% in May 2022 with food store sales down by 1.6% from the previous month as retail...

Paradigm Protect add LV= GI product range to panel

Paradigm Protect, the directly authorised protection proposition – which is part of Paradigm Mortgage Services, has today added the LV= range of General...

BNPL regulation: comment from Robert Flowers, CEO and Founder of DivideBuy

“DivideBuy welcomes and strongly advocates for the UK government’s plans for formal regulation of the $3.7 billion Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) industry....

StepChange welcomes Committee of Advertising Practice enforcement on misleading IVA and PTD ads

Following a series of earlier Advertising Standards Authority rulings against misleading advertisements and websites by Insolvency Practitioners and lead...

New current account to improve financial inclusion for East Midlands communities

One of the UK’s fastest-growing financial co-operatives has partnered with Engage, the community banking-as-a-service division of Contis-Solaris, to launch...

Comment on Treasury announcement of intention to regulate BNPL

“As one of the UK’s leading credit reference agencies, it’s good to see that the Treasury and FCA are moving in the right direction on regulation of the...

PSR sets out the details for its work on card fees

Today, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) sets out its plans showing how it proposes to carry out two market reviews focusing on card fees. One looks at...

Hodge launches whitepaper on how cost of living crisis is affecting financial planning

Hodge has released an in-depth survey into how the rising cost of living is affecting the everyday spending and saving habits of people in the UK. The study...

BNPL regulation plans not enough – comment

In response to the government’s announcement today on BNPL regulation, Neil Kadagathur, CEO and Co-Founder of Creditspring said: “While the proposed...

Consumer car finance new business volumes fell by 1% in April 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer car finance new business volumes fell in April 2022 by 1% compared...

Consumer finance new business grew by 21% in April 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 21% in April 2022 compared with the...

Firms still failing to capture information on vulnerable customers – comment

Following the statement from the FCA on vulnerable customer, Andrew Gething, managing director of Morgan/Ash, said: “The findings of the Financial Conduct...

Countrywide Surveying Services gains ISO27001 approval for 10th consecutive year

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has successfully been approved for continuation of...

UK Finance response to government announcement on reforming the Consumer Credit Act

Responding to the government’s announcement that it commits to reform of the Consumer Credit Act, David Postings, Chief Executive of UK Finance, said: “We...

Money Advice Trust comments on interest rate rise and FCA intervention

The Money Advice Trust has warned of additional pressures facing mortgage-payers in the wake of today’s Bank of England’s rate rise to 1.25%, as the Bank...

HM Treasury agrees to reform the Consumer Credit Act

Stephen Haddrill, commenting on the news that HM Treasury has agreed to reform the Consumer Credit Act (CCA): “This is a great result. We have campaigned for...

Connect for Intermediaries becomes first network to offer its brokers SmartrFit+ tool

Connect for Intermediaries has become the first network to provide its brokers with access to Legal & General Mortgage Club’s SmartrFit+ tool. Connect...

Crystal Specialist Finance expands team

Crystal Specialist Finance (CSF) has further strengthened its sales function with three new hires. Mollie Rising joins as Business Development Manager for...

Wages fall at fastest rate for a decade: gulf grows between public and private sector

After inflation, regular pay, excluding bonuses is down 2.2%. It hasn’t fallen faster than this for over 10 years (Sept-Nov 2011). Strong bonuses meant that...

Two years of turmoil forces a change of plans

47% of people say they’ve had to change their financial plans as a result of everything that’s happened over the past two years. Some have suffered...

Mat leave propels new mothers into debt

It takes women more than two years to bounce back financially after having a baby, leaving many fearful about their own financial security and nearly a quarter...

Impact Specialist Finance added to Paradigm

Impact Specialist Finance, the leading specialist packager and distributor, has been added to the packager panel of Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage...

Payl8r grows as rival Klarna cuts 10% of staff

Online millennial finance firm, Payl8r, has seen an 334% increase in lending over the last 12 months as Klarna cuts its workforce by 10%. Payl8r, the UK’s...

Cost of living increase puts financial strain on 86% of rental households

Research by London rental platform, Rentd, has revealed that rental cost increases have contributed to a strain on household finances for 86% of UK tenants,...

OMS in API integration with Pepper Money for second charge business

One Mortgage System (OMS), the seamless single-input enquiry to completion processing platform for brokers, has completed a full API integration with Pepper...

Seconds activity continues to grow amongst prime borrowers says latest Evolution Money Tracker

Evolution Money, the second-charge lending specialist, has today launched the latest iteration of its quarterly data tracker, which reviews borrower types,...

MotoNovo Appoint New Head of Partnerships & Transformation

MotoNovo Finance has appointed Matt Lucas to the business’ newly created position of Head of Partnerships. The new role underlines MotoNovo’s...

CHL Mortgages added to finova lending panel

CHL Mortgages, the intermediary-only specialist buy-to-let lender, has been added to the lending panel of finova Payment and Mortgage Services. This...

400th surveyor graduates from Countrywide Surveying Services training academy

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has now seen over 400 surveyors graduate from its...

UK Finance analysis shows effect of cost-of-living pressures on mortgaged households

UK Finance releases its latest Household Finance Review which reports on trends in household spending, saving and borrowing during the first quarter of 2022....

Mind the advice gap: when advice doesn’t add up

Only around half of people said they would consider taking financial advice (51%). 29% of people said they wouldn’t take advice because it was too expensive....

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network launch their brand-new Trust Hub

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network have launched an informative and content rich new Trust Hub following on from their content surrounding Writing...

Conveyancing Association launch 2022 Lender Survey to improve mortgage and conveyancing process

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today announced the launch of its 2022 Lender Survey to...

Motor finance solutions for deployed service personnel

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are today launching a new...

Jaja commits to increasing its workforce by 40% before the end of the year

Jaja Finance (“Jaja”), the online digital credit card provider, is bucking trends by committing to a 40% increase in its workforce before the end of the...

BoE Mortgage and Credit Card data: comment

The Bank of England announced today that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals decreased to £4.1 billion in April (down from £6.4 billion in March),...

Cost of living pressures continue to drive new clients to StepChange

New data for April from StepChange Debt Charity shows that the cost of living is now the second most commonly cited reason for debt, up from the third most...

“Ominous signs” as borrowing levels continue to rise

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth increased to 5.7 percent in April 2022 from 5.2...

The Money Stats – May 2022 – Surprise Fall In Average Utility Spend Shows UK Consumers Already Facing Tough Spending Choices

With prices across the board rising at their fastest rate in 40 years, the challenge for UK consumers to stay on top of their money is forcing many to have to...

One in 20 cut asking price: house price growth set to slow to 3%

Zoopla forecasts that price growth will slow from here, and at this rate, growth will fall to 3% by the end of the year. Price reductions are on the rise: 1 in...

BuildLoan launches short-term borrowing solution for self and custom builders

Self and custom build finance specialist BuildLoan has created a short-term mortgage for builders who need to fund the construction of their self or custom...

StepChange Financial Solutions wins Best Equity Release Broker at Mortgage Strategy Awards

StepChange Financial Solutions, the mortgage and equity release advice subsidiary of StepChange Debt Charity, won the Mortgage Strategy award for Best Equity...

Money Advice Trust welcomes scale of cost of living support

The Money Advice Trust has welcomed today’s announcement from the Chancellor of more support for households struggling with rising living costs. Jane Tully,...

StepChange reaction to Chancellor’s cost of living support package

Commenting on the new measures announced today, StepChange Debt Charity Director of External Affairs Richard Lane said: “The additional £650 of support to...

Comment on the Chancellor’s cost of living announcement

“It’s welcome that the Chancellor has finally introduced new measures to help people through the cost of living crisis. The one-off payment of £650 to low...

TransUnion Celebrates Completion of Challenge90 with Colleague Wellbeing Festival

TransUnion, a global information and insights company, marked the completion of its Challenge90 fundraising with Leeds United for Yorkshire Cancer...

Monthly mortgage repayments now cost a third of earnings

With cost of living and interest rates on the rise while house prices are through the roof, specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has calculated...

Cost of living crisis: Industry reaction

Following today’s news that grocery price inflation has hit the highest level in 13 years as households struggle to pay bills, Mohit Paul, Chief Revenue...

Pretty encouraging, given the economic outlook – Comment on the HMRC Property Transactions for April

Following the HMRC figures this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software sales and marketing director, says “The non-seasonally adjusted figures today show...

Adult membership of Credit Unions in the UK rises to highest ever level

Analysis from Freedom Finance, one of the UK’s leading digital lending marketplaces, finds that membership of Credit Unions has risen to an all-time high,...

Fintech lender Creditspring raises £48m to boost its mission to improve financial stability across the UK

Fintech lender, Creditspring, today announces that it has raised £48 million to supercharge its mission of improving financial stability across the UK. The...

Graduates take on more debt than someone without a degree – comment

New research from Equifax reveals students who take out a student loan to fund a degree are nearly twice as likely to take on more debt after graduation as...

Almost three quarters made new habits during the pandemic – over 90% have kept at least one of them

71% of people picked up at least one new habit during the pandemic. The most common habits we picked up over the past two years were eating out less, going out...

Comments on today’s ONS retail sales figures for April

“The latest figures from the ONS show that retail sales volumes rose by 1.4% following a fall of 1.2% in March 2022, as consumers made the most of the good...

Money Advice Trust training recognised with City & Guilds Assured Quality Mark

The Money Advice Trust has today announced that a number of its training programmes across both its vulnerability training and consultancy and Wiseradviser...

Will the Bojo mortgage fill the Help to Buy hole?

Research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed how the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme (MGS), or Bojo Mortgage, has so far fared and how this...

Yooz Announces Company Veteran Laurent Charpentier as CEO

Yooz, a leading purchase-to-pay (P2P) automation provider, today has announced that former COO/CIO Laurent Charpentier has been appointed global CEO of Yooz,...

Agency Models Will Drive Change in Used Car Retailing

With BMW understood to be the latest manufacturer set to embrace an agency model approach to new vehicle distribution, it is, as MotoNovo Finance’s...

Dutch Fintech in3 raises $85.3 million series B round and announces partnership with Mollie

Eindhoven, Netherlands – in3, a Dutch ‘Buy-Now-Pay-Later’ (BNPL) fintech has today announced a $85.3m Series B funding round from the British...

Record inflation should “raise the alarm” on need for action on household bills

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 9 percent in the twelve months...

StepChange comments on inflation: “a driver of debt”

With the Office for National Statistics today confirming that annual inflation reached 9% in April, the Bank of England expecting it to reach 10% later this...

Splitit launches an innovative Installments-as-a-Service platform and announces OCM as the first merchant to fully adopt the technology

NEW YORK – Splitit unveiled a new way to drive installment payments through its merchant-branded Installments-as-a-Service platform. Instead of originating...

Paradigm appoint new Senior Relationship Manager

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the appointment of a new Senior Relationship Manager. Sarah Blackwood joins...

‘Student loans act as “gateway to more millennial debt”, but that might not be a bad thing’

Nearly half (47%) of university students and graduates in the UK, say that receiving a student loan has made them more comfortable with other forms of...

Consumer car finance new business volumes up by 2% in March 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the consumer car finance market reported new business volumes up in March...

Consumer finance new business grew by 19% in March 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 19% in March 2022 compared with the...

Report highlights important issues for the later life lending market MorganAsh responds to Financial Services Consumer Panel research

Andrew Gething, managing director at MorganAsh, in response to the latest research from the Financial Services Consumer Panel on later life lending, says...

RICS: Caution creeps into the property market

New buyer enquiries increased slightly in April – similar to the previous month. However, sales agreed have flattened. And agents’ expectations of sales in...

71% of UK banks have acted on customer product requests over the past 12 months

A new independent survey of 251 senior decision-makers at UK banking and financial services firms has revealed how they are responding to customers’ changing...

New guide highlights need for empathy in borrower customer care

A guide has been launched to help mortgage lenders and brokers put empathy at the heart of customer care and ensure that customers benefit from the power of...

Jaja signs deal with Asda to launch a new reward digital credit card to UK consumers

Jaja Finance Ltd (“Jaja”) has signed a deal with Asda, in conjunction with global payments technology leader Visa, to provide digital, reward-led credit...

MIMHC launch latest wellbeing report to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter have launched their mental health and wellbeing report to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. The...

One in ten with variable rate mortgages face rate rise stress

Yesterday’s rate rise could push mortgage payments up by over £40 and put up to one in ten of those on variable rate mortgages under financial pressure. If...

Comments on the Bank of England base rate

“The Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates to a 13-year high today will be welcomed by savers, many of whom may not remember the last time the...

Money Advice Trust responds to Bank of England interest rate rise

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has today voted to increase interest rates to 1 percent. Joanna Elson CBE, chief executive of the Money Advice...

Further base rate rise ramps up pressure on low income households, says StepChange

Following the Bank of England’s decision to raise the base rate by 0.25 percentage points today, StepChange Debt Charity has warned that a further hike in...

MotoNovo Recognises Dealer at its Extra Mile Awards

Held at the Belfry Hotel on Aprils 28th and hosted by MotoNovo’s Managing Director Karl Werner, Commercial Director Debbie McKay and former rugby union...

Central Trust enhances residential and CBTL mortgage proposition

Central Trust, the first and second charge lender, has today made significant changes to its residential and Consumer Buy-to-let (CBTL) mortgage propositions,...

Just Mortgages brings in fifty new brokers in Q1

Leading national broker firm, Just Mortgages brought in fifty new brokers to its self-employed team in the first three months of 2022. The self-employed...

NewDay and John Lewis in Financial Services Partnership

NewDay (the “Company”), a leading consumer credit business in the UK, and John Lewis, one of the country’s best-known brands, announce that they have...

Estate agents are confident about the future

An industry-wide gauge of property market sentiment by The Property Redress Scheme has revealed that UK property professionals feel hugely optimistic about the...

The March of the credit card – while high street giants drag their feet on savings

March figures show credit card borrowing was up 10.6% in a year – the fastest growth since 2006. We spent roughly half as much on cards as we did in...

Continued rise in borrowing a sign of “mounting pressure” on household budgets

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth increased to 5.2 percent in March 2022 from 4.5...

Cost of living pressure rising as a cause of debt, as borrowing increases in March

New data from StepChange Debt Charity shows that the cost of living pressure continues to rise for financially stretched households – it was the third...

tell.money successfully completes £2m growth funding round

tell.money, the fintech platform that delivers innovative and rapidly deployable Open Banking solutions for banks and other account providers, has closed its...

Impact Specialist Finance partners with Movin Legal

Impact Specialist Finance, the leading specialist packager and distributor, has partnered with conveyancing portal, Movin Legal, to help its brokers find the...

Millions feel the pinch, but ONS reveals those being squeezed until the pips squeak

In April, 91% of people said the cost of living had increased – up from 62% in November. Older people are feeling price rises more keenly: 94% of those aged...

Low Unemployment Rare Bright Spot in Cost of Living Crisis

While prices continue to rise at concerning levels and the cost of living crisis sees more people struggling with their everyday money, one small bright spot...

Keen buyers could be left choking in the dust of runaway house prices

Monthly house price growth slowed slightly to 12.1% in April – but it’s still the 11thconsecutive month in double digits. The average price hit £267,620,...

Credit Demand Grows Alongside Booming Buy Now, Pay Later Market

Consumer demand for credit products has grown since the onset of the pandemic, according to TransUnion’s Consumer Credit 2022 white paper, which reveals...

Paysafe enables eCash payments for US auto loans with Exeter Finance

Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a leading specialized payments platform, today announced a new partnership with Exeter Finance LLC, a leading indirect auto finance...

Lately in red: how borrowing has changed during the pandemic

A year into the pandemic we were more able to cover one-off costs out of the blue with lockdown savings, but now we’re back to borrowing. 20% of us put at...

LiveMore expands product range with four-tier structure

LiveMore Capital has revamped its entire product range offering a much wider choice of options for borrowers aged 50 to 90+. Instead of a two-tier system...

Rents rose again during Q1 2022 as 15% of surveyed tenants report paying above going rate to secure properties

Average UK rents have increased for the sixth consecutive quarter, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS), whilst also producing evidence that...

Shoppers spent more to buy less in March, as inflation and fuel costs soared, says ParcelHero

Today’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales figures for March make grim reading, says the home delivery expert ParcelHero. Retail sales tumbled...

Transactions comment: Spring surge shows underlying strength of the housing market

Following the latest property transaction figures from HMRC that found moves jumped almost 20% in March, John Phillips, national operations director, Just...

Jones and Quigley promoted to Senior Regional Account Managers at Foundation Home Loans

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the promotions of Keith Jones and Katie Quigley to Senior Regional Account...

Hampshire Trust Bank makes experienced vehicle finance hire

Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has announced the appointment of Scott Riley as Sales Manager, Specialist Cars and Vehicle Stock Finance in the bank’s Asset...

715,000 Small Businesses Worried about Climate Change not doing Enough

At a time of rising fuel prices, unstable energy supplies and increasing climate warnings, as many as 715,000 small businesses who are worried about the...

Borrowing booms, but it’s set to get tougher: Bank of England

Demand for lending on credit cards and loans rose in the first three months of the year and is expected to do so again this spring, as we struggle to cope with...

Foundation Home Loans launch new two-year ‘Green ABC+’ mortgage options for owner-occupiers

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today launched new two-year ‘Green ABC+’ fixed and discount options for residential...

Households “buckling under the strain” of rising costs

The latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 7 percent in the twelve months...

Splend signs £75 million senior secured credit facility with Pollen Street Capital to fast-track transition to green mobility

Splend, a leading vehicle subscription business for rideshare and delivery drivers, today announced a new senior secured credit facility with Pollen Street...

West One appoints new national account manager

West One Loans’ buy-to-let division has appointed Jez Quinn as national account manager to grow and develop relationships with a diverse range of brokers....

TDS announces API integration with Yorlet to streamline deposit protection for agents

Lettings software provider Yorlet, has integrated technology with the new API solution created by government-backed Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), providing a...

MotoNovo Launches a New Motor Retailing Women’s Network

Open to everyone GROW has been created to increase understanding in areas such as unconscious bias, to challenge, support, and encourage meaningful discussions...

CHL Mortgages launches new large HMO and MUFB range

CHL Mortgages, the intermediary-only specialist buy-to-let lender, further expands its product suite and criteria by launching a new product range for large...

Azucko app allowing employees access to a portion of salary before payday

With approval from the Central Bank of Ireland, Prima Finance has announced the launch of a new personal finance app, allowing Irish residents to access an...

What Now for Dealers’ Appointed Representative (AR) Status?

On December 3rd 2021, the FCA published a press release, “FCA proposes stronger requirements on oversight of appointed representatives.” It...

StepChange responds to new FCA strategy

The FCA has today launched a new three year strategy. Responding to the news,Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs at StepChange Debt Charity, said:...

81% of UK still unaware ‘buy now, pay later’ is unregulated – millions at risk of falling into debt as living cost crisis bites

81% of UK adults are unaware that buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes are unregulated, placing them at major risk of falling into debt, according to new research...

Times were already hard for many before the latest cost of living crisis

StepChange Debt Charity’s 2021 Statistics Yearbook, published today, shows that even before the latest rise in general inflation and the rise in the energy...

New analysis shows mainstream lenders surrendering victims to loan sharks

Mainstream lenders are surrendering people into the hands of illegal loan sharks as many victims try to access credit from legal, regulated sources but the...

Shared ownership is set for growth, say lenders and housing associations at Just Mortgages new build event

As an affordable housing option, shared ownership is growing but it does not have enough consumer awareness and understanding. This was one of the key messages...

Jaja Finance Ltd announces closing of strategic transaction to deliver on its ambition of becoming the UK’s leading digital lender

Jaja Finance Ltd (“Jaja”) today announces that it has closed the strategic transaction announced in November 2021, resulting in a consortium led by KKR and...

Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter targets 200+ signatories.

The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC), today confirmed a target of 200+ signatories by the end of 2022. Speaking during a webinar hosted by...

Digital bank Zopa hits profitability

Zopa bank has hit profitability, just 21 months after acquiring its banking licence. This is the first time Zopa bank turns a profit, making it one of the...

Inflation and cost of living increases driving three quarters of UK Professionals to consider changing jobs

A week after the Government’s Spring Budget and with energy price hikes from the 1st April piling on the pressure, the latest survey by the UK’s leading...

Housing market appears to defy gravity: momentum will only get you so far

House price growth surged to 14.3% in the year to March – and prices are up 1.1% in a month. This is the fastest growth since 2004. Average house prices hit...

CHL strengthens BDM team

CHL Mortgages, the intermediary-only specialist buy-to-let lender, has added Aidan Walker to its BDM team. Aiden will cover the North of England region. He has...

Breadth of lending vital to a thriving economy

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Alternative Lending hosted a House of Commons reception to showcase...

Just Mortgages set for 1,500 staff

Leading broker firm, Just Mortgages plans to almost treble in size in just five years. Its goal is to reach 1,500 staff across its various divisions by 2027....

Foundation Home Loans launches expanded solicitor panel for specialist property cases

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today launched an expanded panel of solicitors for specialist property cases, including...

One in four using credit for essentials as rise in consumer credit continues

The Bank of England has today published its latest Money and Credit figures showing consumer credit growth increased to 4.4% in February 2022 from 3.2% in...

Astonishing hike in credit card borrowing, as savings slump and mortgages slow: Bank of England

We borrowed another £1.5 billion on credit cards in February, the biggest monthly hike in at least 30 years. It took the annual rise in card borrowing to...

More clients cite cost of living as reason for debt, says StepChange

StepChange Debt Charity’s latest client data report for February shows a rise in the proportion of people seeking advice who say that cost of living pressure...

The Consumer Rights Act as a Sales Tool

These findings from MotoNovo’s Attitudes to Car Buying Research reveal the importance of dealers’ knowledge, transparency and overall helpfulness...

Coadjute joins The Conveyancing Association as Affiliate member

The Conveyancing Association (CA) – the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry – has today announced the appointment of Coadjute as a new...

The Money Stats – March 2022 – UK Turns To Credit and Debt to Manage Cost of Living Crisis

Facing the sharpest decline in living standards since records began, people in the UK are already leaning into credit and debt to meet the everyday challenges...

Foundation Home Loans promote Hendry and Whitear to Director level

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the promotions of Grant Hendry and Mark Whitear. Grant becomes Director of...

Knowledge Bank adds Proportunity criteria

Proportunity, the shared equity loan provider, has partnered with Knowledge Bank to make its products available on the industry leading criteria search...

Stonebridge reveals strong growth

Stonebridge, the national mortgage and insurance network, has announced strong mortgage application and completion growth through 2021 and into 2022 at its...

Spring Statement ‘a missed opportunity’ given scale of the cost of living crisis

The Money Advice Trust has welcomed the increase in National Insurance threshold and increasing the Household Support Fund in today’s Spring Statement –...

Spring statement comment: No news is good news for the housing market

Following the Spring Statement, John Phillips, national operations director at Just Mortgages said: “As expected, there wasn’t anything directly related to...

Pink Pig Loans rebrands to Truffle Specialist Finance

Pink Pig Loans, the specialist finance packager and distributor, has today announced it has rebranded the business and will now be known as Truffle Specialist...

Inflation hits 6.2%, and worse is yet to come: how to weather the storm

CPI inflation is up again to 6.2% in February – from 5.5% in January. It’s the highest CPI has been since 1992. Notable increases. The rising cost of a...

A greater impetus to secure a favourable rate – comment

Following the HMRC property transaction figures this morning, Richard Pike, Phoebus Software sales and marketing director, says “It is not at all surprising...

Can Rishi Sunak slow rising household costs? A Spring Statement preview

With cost of living rising rapidly, the Bank of England increasing interest rates and National Insurance going up, more eyes than usual will be on Chancellor...

Robert Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, Novuna comments on the upcoming Spring Statement

“Wednesday’s Spring Statement is an opportunity for the Government to take decisive, meaningful action to help consumers and businesses avoid the worst...

Households on ‘collision course’ with the cost of living crisis

One in seven (an estimated 7.9 million) UK adults is behind on at least one household bill and one in eight (an estimated 6.2 million) have gone without...

Hodge and Accord to co-host the first live event of the Power of 8 collaboration for intermediaries

Hodge is to co-host the first live Power of 8 (PO8) event for 2022 with Accord Mortgages in Manchester on Wednesday 30th March, discussing how to tackle...

Foundation Home Loans expands Green buy-to-let product range to specialist property types

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced an expansion of its Green buy-to-let product range to specialist property...

Enra Specialist Finance to be acquired by Elliott Advisors

Enra Specialist Finance announced today that it has struck a deal with funds advised by Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited (“Elliott”) to acquire a majority...

Just Mortgages appoints new divisional sales director

Due to the continued growth of Just Mortgages’ New Build Division, a third divisional sales director role has been created. Helen Whitehead has been promoted...

SCA regulations: A call to action for the payments industry

Today, online shoppers in the UK face more identification checks when paying for purchases on the internet as SCA rules to clamp down on fraud come into force....

MSS Group announces acquisition of significant shareholding in the Connect network

Connect IFA Ltd, the specialist mortgage network, has today announced Mortgage & Surveying Services (MSS), the national property services group with...

Consumer car finance new business volumes up by 43% in January 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the consumer car finance market reported new business volumes up in January...

Consumer finance new business grew by 51% in January 2022

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 51% in January 2022 compared with the...

Helen Lord invited to join the prestigious DataIQ 100 power list

Helen Lord, CEO of the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS), a not-for-profit company providing the UK’s first central vulnerability database, has been...

Registry Trust appoints Demos CEO Polly Mackenzie as Non-Executive Director

Registry Trust, the not-for-profit organisation which maintains the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for the UK & Ireland, has appointed Polly...

BNPL fintech in3 secures $11.1m Series A from Finch Capital; partners with Worldline of offer free BNPL services

in3, a leading Dutch Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) fintech business, has today announced a $11.1m funding round from Finch Capital as growth soars. In addition to...

As Retail Footfall Returns MotoNovo Delivers Record Activity

Despite storms battering the country, it was evident that consumers were determined to embrace the call to learn to live with Covid-19, with retail traffic...

Tembo latest addition to Proportunity brokers

Tembo, the family-focused digital mortgage broker, is the latest addition to the broker panel at shared equity loan provider Proportunity. London-based fintech...

Rental stock plunges below pre-pandemic levels as returning tenants continue to drive market revival

Research by specialist property lending expert, Octane Capital, has revealed how rental market stock levels have plummeted across the UK’s major cities, as a...

TotallyMoney hires Head of Data in credit personalisation drive

TotallyMoney, the credit app that helps everyone move their finances forward, has appointed Henry Pearce as Head of Data, as it ramps up the use of technology...

Remortgage renaissance ahead of rate rise

28% of mortgages paid out to owner occupiers in the last three months of 2021 were remortgages, up 10 percentage points in a year. This was the highest share...

Sprout Mortgage Promotes Two to Senior Sales Positions as Nationwide Expansion Continues

EAST MEADOW, NY – Sprout Mortgage, one of the nation’s largest non-QM originators and fastest growing independent lenders, today announced two...

71% of brokers expect to recommend a second charge for the first time

A webinar poll conducted by Central Trust, the intermediary only specialist first and second charge lender, has revealed that a large number of mortgage...

Just Mortgages to host shared ownership event

Over the past year, Just Mortgages New Build Division has seen a rise in enquiries and sales from home buyers interested in shared ownership. With house prices...

Wrung dry: one in five spend savings and one in seven borrow for bills

81% of people said their cost of living has risen over the past month. When asked how this was affecting them, 22% of people said they were spending their...

Just Mortgages trains brokers to provide business protection advice

Leading national broker firm, Just Mortgages is training its advisers to offer expert business protection advice. Twelve advisers have completed the course...

Norton Home Loans added to New Leaf lender panel

Norton Home Loans has been added to the lender panel of New Leaf, enabling members of the network to access the lender’s full range of specialist first...

Mortgage interest payments down -22% versus 30 years ago

Research by Henry Dannell, a leading specialist in bespoke mortgage solutions, has revealed how the cost of a mortgage for today’s homebuyers is 22% more...

Cost of living now in top 5 reasons for debt, reports StepChange Debt Charity

January saw the usual seasonal increase in people looking for debt advice, according to the latest client insights report from StepChange Debt Charity. The...

New public-private collaboration with top banks, public agencies and private organisations launched, to shed light on the digital asset ecosystem

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School today announced the launch of the Cambridge Digital Assets Programme...

Fleet Mortgages sets out ESG policy and steps to be taken to achieve ambitions

Fleet Mortgages, the buy-to-let specialist lender, has today outlined its new Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) Policy Statement, and the proactive...

Shawbrook Hires Arthur Leung As Chief Product Officer

Shawbrook has today appointed Arthur Leung in the newly created role of Chief Product Officer, reporting into the Bank’s CEO Marcelino Castrillo. The...

BuildLoan and Nottingham Building Society launch new range of cost based mortgages for self builders

BuildLoan has worked closely with Nottingham Building Society to launch three new cost based self and custom build mortgage products. All of the new range...

News The Money Stats – February 2022 – UK Gripped by Cost-of-Living Crisis

Worrying indicators for the UK’s finances have come into full effect over December and January with households facing soaring bills, according to the...

CarTrawler Partners with Condor as their Online Car Rental Provider

CarTrawler, the leading global B2B provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the travel industry today announced that it is now the online car rental...

Together loan book reaches £4.4bn

Together Financial Services Limited (‘Together’ or ‘the Group’), one of the UK’s leading specialist mortgage and secured loan providers, is pleased...

Strathkelvin Credit Union announces Quantuma as Administrators

Financial cooperative, Strathkelvin Credit Union (SCU), has appointed Dina Devalia, Simon Bonney, and Ian Wright, all managing directors at business advisory...

Lockdown doubled risk of mental distress on UK adolescents with previous mental health difficulties

Adolescents aged 17-19 years old with previous mental health issues were 100% more likely to have suffered further mental distress as a result of the Covid-19...

60% of BNPL customers are worried about the impact on their credit score as product begins to show on credit reports

A new survey from UK fintech Pave shows the vast majority of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) customers are unclear about the impact of BNPL on their credit scores,...

Paradigm appoint new Senior Relationship Manager

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today announced the appointment of a new Senior Relationship Manager. Michael Brown joins...

Foundation Home Loans announce two National Sales Managers

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the appointment of two National Sales Managers. Nathan Goodridge joins the...

MotoNovo Champions the Broader Opportunities for Apprenticeships Right Across Motor Retailing

In today’s increasingly digitally and socially engaged marketplace, the role and scope of apprenticeship opportunities for candidates and employers are...

Just Mortgages hires new development directors

Leading national broker firm, Just Mortgages, has appointed three new development directors. They will work with the firm’s regional directors to provide...

Cost-of-living crisis spreads to three quarters of us

In the first half of February, 76% of people said their cost of living had risen in the previous month – up from 69% in the second half of January. The most...

Sigma Connected and Vanquis mark 10-year milestone with new customer service contract

A business outsourcing provider has been awarded a new, additional contract by a long-standing financial services client. Sigma Connected, which provides...

Foundation Home Loans appoints Managing Directors

Foundation Home Loans, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has today announced the creation of two Managing Directors within the business. George Gee...

Homeowners less reliant on mortgages compared to five years ago

Research by Henry Dannell, a leading specialist in bespoke mortgage solutions, has revealed that the total number of homes owned with a mortgage or loan across...

Households facing “triple threat” of rising inflation, energy price hikes and tax increases

The latest UK consumer price inflation (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 5.5% in January, up from...

Real estate consultancy gears up for growth after record year

Real estate consultancy Naismiths is set to invest in growth over the next 12 months with support from Shawbrook Bank. The business, which is headquartered in...

Firms still need certainty and time to implement FCA’s Consumer Duty

PIMFA, the trade association for wealth management, investment services and the investment and financial advice industry, has today called on the Financial...

First 4 Bridging appoints Head of Intermediary Relations

First 4 Bridging (F4B) has announced the appointment of Besmir Kurti as Head of Intermediary Relations for the South. Besmir re-joins the F4B team after a...

Affinity Mortgages added to broker panel at Proportunity

Independent mortgage and protection adviser Affinity Mortgages has been added to the panel of brokers at Proportunity, the shared equity loan provider. The...

Money Advice Trust responds to FCA’s statement on Buy Now Pay Later

The Financial Conduct Authority has today issued a statement on changes made to contract terms by four ‘Buy now, pay later’ firms, including voluntary...

Consumer car finance new business volumes up by 2% in December and by 9% in 2021

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that the consumer car finance market reported new business volumes up in...

Consumer finance new business grew by 16% in December and by 15% in 2021

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew by 16% in December 2021 compared with...

StepChange responds on FCA BNPL interventions

StepChange Debt Charity is pleased to note the Financial Conduct Authority’s interventions today in the Buy Now, Pay Later market. Richard Lane, Director of...

Commentary on the ONS monthly and quarterly GDP results

“News that the UK GDP contracted by 0.2% in December last year should come as no surprise given Omicron’s disruption to the UK’s economic recovery....

PSR finalises plans for the wider implementation of fraud prevention tool, Confirmation of Payee

Today, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) confirmed and published a new rule that paves the way for more banks and building societies to adopt Confirmation of...

TotallyMoney appoints Rebecca Shears as Chief Marketing Officer

TotallyMoney, the credit app that helps everyone move their finances forward, has appointed Rebecca Shears as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Rebecca holds...

MotoRate Continues to Drive Dealer Success

A Year on from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ban on discretionary finance commission in January 2021, the impact of MotoNovo’s ground-breaking...

Sprout Mortgage Names Samuel Bjelac EVP, National Sales to Lead TPO Channel

EAST MEADOW, NY — Sprout Mortgage, one of the nation’s largest non-QM originators and fastest growing lenders, is proud to announce that Samuel Bjelac...

New Year, New Partnership

Nationwide mortgage advice firm, Mortgage 1st, and estate agent, British Home Sellers, are now working together to enhance the home buying journey for their...

CHL Mortgages added to Brilliant Solutions’ lending panel

CHL Mortgages, the intermediary-only specialist buy-to-let lender, has been added to Brilliant Solutions’ lending panel. This partnership will provide...

BoE raises interest rates: Arrears and defaults are once again on the rise

In light of the Bank of England raising its base interest rate from 0.25% to 0.5% today, Paul Heywood, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Equifax UK...

Bank Base Rate decision comment

Commenting on today’s MPC Bank Base Rate announcement, Simon Jackson, Chief Executive Officer at MSS (Mortgage & Surveying Services), said: “The...

2022 to deliver more specialist mortgage business than ever before

Brokers expect to write more specialist residential mortgage business this year than ever before, according to a poll by Norton Home Loans. The specialist...

The Right Mortgage and Protection Network celebrates 7th birthday and posts a 60% increase in turnover year on year

The Right Mortgage and Protection Network is celebrating seven years of supporting the UK’s mortgage and protection brokers in all areas of business....

Splitit finds over half of UK credit card holders plan to use Buy Now, Pay Later in 2022

Today Splitit (ASX:SPT, OTCQX:SPTTY), the company empowering shoppers to use their credit cards to pay in instalments, shares new data which reveals the...

One in five Britons plans to buy a property in 2022

New research among more than 2,000 UK adults has revealed how many people are planning to buy a new home or property investment in 2022: 18% of UK adults...

Cost of living a concern for homeowners as half already stretched to cover monthly costs

Estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk has revealed that while homeowners remain confident that house prices will remain high and their monthly mortgage...

Comment on Equity Release Council report

Following the Equity Release Council’s 30th anniversary report which explores the sector’s progress over the past three decades, Will Hale, CEO of Key,...

Comments: BNPL Firm Klarna Launches Physical Card in the UK

“Klarna launching a card is a big deal for the payments sector. From a functionality perspective, BNPL has been considered a serious challenger to credit...

Experian and National Literacy Trust supports financial capability of young people across the UK

Experian is delighted to announce a new partnership with the National Literacy Trust to support financial literacy amongst young people across the country. The...

Moneypenny launches Microsoft Teams call integration

Leading outsourced communications provider, Moneypenny, has launched a world-first integration with Microsoft Teams to minimise interruptions for time-poor...

The Money Stats – January 2022 – Difficult Financial Outlook for Winter Fails to Ease

The challenging direction of travel for the UK’s finances continued in the closing months of the year, with few indications of potential positives and some...

Countrywide Surveying Services appoints Regional Director for the South West & South Wales

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, has announced the appointment of Hugh Riley as...

Fiduciam provides £5.3m Recovery Loan Scheme facility for affordable retirement accommodation

Fiduciam, the institutionally funded lender to housebuilders and entrepreneurs, has provided a £5.3m Recovery Loan Scheme facility for the development of an...

Consumers brace for another cost of living squeeze as oil prices surge to a 7 year high

Brent crude surges above $89.5 a barrel due to supply constraints and geopolitical tensions. Forecasts that oil could hit as much as $120 a barrel. Petrol...

Comment: Klarna card is “a dangerous piece of plastic”

This morning, Klarna released its first physical payment card, as the Buy Now Pay Later trend continues to spiral out of control, Jens Bader, CEO of...

ABA Credit Conditions Index: Credit Market Expectations for Businesses and Consumers Confirm Solid Economic Outlook

WASHINGTON — Bank economists expect credit conditions to continue improving for both consumers and businesses over the next six months, according to the...

West One added to Paradigm lender panel

Paradigm Mortgage Services, the mortgage services proposition, has today added West One to its lender panel. From today, Paradigm member firms will be able to...

Key Group appoints national account manager

Key Group, the leading Preston-based specialist provider of financial solutions to the over-55’s, has appointed Alistair Morrison as one of its National...

Shoppers wrapped up their Christmas shopping a little earlier this year

“Shoppers wrapped up their Christmas shopping a little earlier this year, as the spectre of Omicron turned traditional footfall trends on their head, and led...

Consumer finance comment on ONS retail figures

“December was always going to be a chilling prospect for retailers, many of whom spent the month wrestling with supply chain disruption, an inflationary...

Property sales bounce back in December, but this may be a blip

Property sales (non-seasonally adjusted) rose again in December – up 11.8% from November, but down 14.6% from a year earlier. It’s the third busiest...

FCA: High street giants losing their grip on current accounts

There are 100 million current accounts held in the UK. Around 8% are now held with newer online banks – up from 1% in 2018. Over the same period, the big...

TransUnion Raises Over £18,000 for Save the Children and Strengthens Commitment to Colleague Volunteering Scheme

TransUnion, a global information and insights company and one of the UK’s leading credit reference agencies, has been proudly supporting Save the Children,...

One in three people struggling to keep up with bills or credit commitments – double the pre-pandemic number

The number of people finding it hard to keep up with bills and credit commitments has doubled since the start of the pandemic according to new research from...

Households facing “double-whammy” of high inflation and looming tax rises

The latest UK consumer price inflation (CPI) figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, show that CPI rose to 5.4% in December, up from...

Buy-now, pay-later spending up by £1bn over Christmas 2021

The amount of Christmas shopping put on buy-now, pay-later rose by £1billion in 2021. As banks, retailers and others continue to jump on the increasing...