News Archive: mortgages

Page 1 of 35 - Results per page: 50

10, 2012 February:

China limits mortgage loans for foreigners

China is to stop foreigners from taking out mortgages in its latest attempt to cool its domestic property market

Bank of England to get new powers to limit mortgage amounts

Chancellor George Osborne is set to hand new powers to the Bank of England to regulate the mortgage market by allowing it to set loan-to-value ratio limits.

Manchester draws up plan for new homes and mortgages

Manchester has unveiled radical plans to underwrite the mortgages of first-time buyers and invest £25m of pension fund cash in building new homes.

09, 2012 February:

Santander cracks down on interest-only mortgages

Interest-only mortgages are set to disappear as a major high street bank restricts access to home owners.

08, 2012 February:

30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls to 9th Record Low in a Year

The average rate on the 30-year-fixed mortgage fell this week to a record low, the ninth time that has happened in the last year. But even with the cheapest rates in history, the housing market remains depressed.

07, 2012 February:

Now existing home owners face mortgage squeeze

Problems getting a mortgage and raising a deposit are not confined to first-time buyers and are spreading to existing owners too, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

US mortgage giant plans massive auction of 122,616 foreclosed properties

America’s Federal Housing Finance Agency has approved a giant residential real-estate auction at Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) to help the mortgage giant unload its inventory of 122,616 foreclosed houses.

06, 2012 February:

Can creative thinking help Portugal’s property market?

House hunters may have heard of Felice Cohen, the cash-strapped woman who adapted to fit in New York's smallest flat. Videotaping her cramped conditions, her creative housing solution was hailed as "an inspiration to penny-pinched tenants across the world". But Portugal's investors are proving equally intrepid with a simple response to limited bank finance: skipping the banks altogether.

03, 2012 February:

Twice as many UK mortgage holders save rather than pay down their debt

Despite recent research showing that overpaying on a mortgage offers better longer term rewards than saving, twice as many UK mortgage holders save regularly rather than pay down their debt according to new research from online bank first direct.

Dubai mortgage lender reports profit spike

Dubai mortgage lender Tamweel has reported a four-times increase in profits in the last three months of 2011, hinting at a stabilising property market.

02, 2012 February:

Video - This month in US real estate (February)

The monthly review of the American property market from Keller Williams Realty International, plus advice on how buyers can improve their credit score.

America struggles with 3 million negative equity mortgages

A national write-down of three million negative equity mortgages in the United States, cutting borrowers’ loan balances to the point where they have positive equity in their properties, could cost the country’s taxpayers $100bn, says Edward DeMarco, the acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

31, 2012 January:

Buy to let sector sees rash of new mortgages

There are now six mortgage lenders offering more than 20 buy to let mortgages with LTVs up to 80%, according to new figures.

Buying a UK property is £116 a month cheaper than renting

Low mortgage rates mean that it is cheaper to own your home and pay the mortgage than rent, according to a new review by the Halifax.

27, 2012 January:

Snow time to sell? Marketing your property in winter

When the nights draw in and the days are cold, we all want to be wrapped up inside away from the elements. Unsurprisingly, this is time of year the property market slows down - buyers stay home and fewer homes come onto the market. The average time it takes to sell increases from 80 days between March and June to nearer to 100 days between October and January.

26, 2012 January:

Mortgage fees soar by more than £600

The typical mortgage fee has soared by some £600 over the last year.

24, 2012 January:

Gross mortgage lending edges up in 2011

The year-on-year total of gross mortgage lending rose for the fifth month in a row in December, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

18, 2012 January:

Mortgage firm overwhelmed by overseas agents' interest

International mortgage specialist Conti has been flooded with overseas property agencies and specialists keen to become mortgage intermediaries and open up a new revenue stream.

17, 2012 January:

Home affordability in the UK is at its best since 1997, report shows

Mortgage payments for a new borrower in the second half of 2011 were at their lowest as a proportion of disposable earnings for 14 years, according to new Halifax research.

First-time buyers alive and well as house prices become affordable, says CML

First-time buyers are alive and well as house prices become more affordable, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Despite higher deposits being required, reports of the disappearance of first-time buyers are greatly exaggerated because falling house prices are making property more affordable, banks and building societies claim.

80 Cent 'typo' almost cost man home

Didn't think you could lose your home over a mere 80 cents? Think again.

12, 2012 January:

Fannie Mae CEO to resign

Fannie Mae CEO Michael Williams plans to resign, the government-controlled mortgage giant said Tuesday.

11, 2012 January:

Mortgage squeeze fuels surge in buy-to-let investors

Buy-to-let investors are emerging as one of the surprise beneficiaries of the famine in mortgage lending, according to new research.

09, 2012 January:

Mortgage lending criteria set to get tougher

Banks expect to tighten their mortgage lending criteria in 2012 despite an increase in credit availability, according to the Bank of England's latest credit conditions survey.

05, 2012 January:

One million people take out emergency loans to pay mortgage

Almost one million Britons have taken out an emergency ‘payday’ loan to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last year, according to Shelter, the housing charity.

04, 2012 January:

Foreclosure free ride: 3 years, no payments

Delinquent borrowers facing foreclosure are learning that they can stay in their homes for years, as long as they're willing to put up a fight.

03, 2012 January:

Government trying to repay 200,000 minority borrowers

The government would like to repay more than 200,000 minority borrowers who allegedly paid unfairly high interest rates and fees on mortgages, but first the government needs to find them.

19, 2011 December:

FSA shakes up mortgage market

The FSA today announced plans to prevent a return of the risky mortgage lending seen in boom times, by ensuring that common sense standards continue to apply in future.

Mortgage Fraud: California, New York Rank Highest, Report Says

Mortgage fraud activity slowed overall in the third quarter, but California ranks first in home loan fraud, with the state seeing as much as $204.2 million in losses on deceptive mortgage activity.

16, 2011 December:

UK mortgage lending sees fourth consecutive year on year increase

Gross mortgage lending in the UK in November totalled an estimated £13 billion, with the monthly figure showing its fourth consecutive year on year rise, according to figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders yesterday.

09, 2011 December:

Mortgage approvals hit highest level since November 2009

Loans for home purchases reached their highest number since December 2009 in November thanks to the loosest mortgage lending conditions seen since the Lehman collapse, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor from e.surv chartered surveyors.

Fannie Mae, banks halt foreclosures for the holidays

Happy holidays struggling homeowners! Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and several large mortgage lenders have pledged not to foreclose on delinquent borrowers during the Christmas season.

07, 2011 December:

Housing and 'Occupy' activists take aim at foreclosed homes

Housing activists and "Occupy"protesters were gearing up Tuesday to take over foreclosed homes and empty lots and help defend families facing eviction in at least 25 cities as part of a bid to re-energize the grassroots movement and put the spotlight on the ongoing housing crisis.

06, 2011 December:

Britons pay off mortgage debts

British homeowners are throwing extra cash at their mortgage debt, encouraged by low interest rates and the slowdown in the housing market, figures show.

05, 2011 December:

Record number of US homes in foreclosure

The foreclosure pipeline has never been more crammed, with lenders attempting to push 2.2 million homes through the process as of the end of October, according to a monthly report issued today by Lender Processing Services Inc.

02, 2011 December:

Danish housing bubble prompts industry to look to German model

Denmark's home-loan industry, the world's biggest issuer of mortgage-backed covered bonds, is looking to Germany to avoid a repeat of the housing bubble that sent Scandinavia's weakest economy to the brink of a recession.

01, 2011 December:

Porsche car elevator gives US property a lift

A new apartment block designed by Porsche is giving US property a lift - with a robotic arm. The luxury car group is building a Florida complex with a lift that will carry residents' cars right to the top floor. Flats could cost up to $9m, but the Porsche project is accelerating just as mortgage rates hit the brakes, making US homes the most affordable in 15 years.

Deputies refuse to evict 103 year old from home

As the foreclosure machine rumbles on, many Americans continue to lose homes that they have lived in for decades. A 103-year-old and her 83-year-old daughter living in Atlanta looked poised to suffer that fate Tuesday when they were scheduled to be evicted from their home of 53 years. But an act of compassion has left them holding on.

29, 2011 November:

Mortgage first for overseas property buyers in Qatar

Two Qatari banks have jointly launched a new financial product that will allow Qatari citizens to purchase property overseas...marking the first time a local Qatari bank has offered a property finance solution spanning four continents.

25, 2011 November:

Scotland sees rise in mortgage lending

House purchase lending is rising again in Scotland, but not as fast as in the UK as a whole, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

24, 2011 November:

BBA reports demand for mortgages remains subdued

Despite a slight increase in mortgage lending last month, the market remains subdued as borrowers adopt a 'wait and see' approach to purchasing or struggle to get hold of good deals.

23, 2011 November:

Search engines hit by mortgage scam

Search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo have been hit by mortgage scams designed to extract upfront fees from struggling US homeowners.

Video: Is homeowners insurance part of the monthly mortgage payment?

A monthly mortgage payment can be made up of a few different things. Learn how to tell if homeowner’s insurance is part of the monthly mortgage plan with help from a licensed Realtor.

21, 2011 November:

October gross mortgage lending up 13pc year-on-year

Gross mortgage lending was an estimated £13.1 billion in October, a 4% decrease from £13.7 billion in September and a 13% increase from £11.6 billion in October 2010, according latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

18, 2011 November:

Video: Beware of mortgage scheme

An email scam telling people their mortgage contains errors is tricking homeowners out of their money. Fox explains what to watch out for.

17, 2011 November:

UK sells Northern Rock to Virgin Money

The British government has agreed to sell Northern Rock, the failed mortgage lender it nationalised in 2008, to Virgin Money, the banking arm of Richard Branson's Virgin empire.

Richlist property mogul's mortgagee sell up

A property portfolio previously owned by real estate king Don Ha has been put on the market for mortgagee sale.

15, 2011 November:

Bank of England maintains Bank Rate at 0.5%

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee yesterday voted to maintain the official Bank Rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 0.5%.

Video: Mortgage rates drop to record lows

Mortgage rates recently dropped to their lowest rates in history. We talked to brokers to find out what this means for home owners and those looking to purchase a home.