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Market watch
A dark cloud on the horizon? The MMR approaches
The final Mortgage Market Review proposals are due in early Autumn. Will they destabilise the market?
Time to overhaul equity release?
Equity release trade body SHIP will soon announce the results of its root and branch review, with commentators suggesting it must push providers to offer far more innovative products.
Should mortgage protection be compulsory?
In his Mortgage Solutions blog, Connells mortgage services director Ross Bowen argued that protection covers more than just borrowers, helping lenders and brokers too.
Other Market watch articles
Radical measures: How must the mortgage industry change?
Spicerhaart’s Alison Beech has said the mortgage industry needs a radical rethink and called for the creation of a long-term, sustainable plan that helps everyone, including first-timer buyers.
The return of 100% LTV deals: more harm than good?
Northern-Irish lender Northern Bank has revealed it has returned to 100% LTV lending for the first time since the credit crisis hit.
Is £140bn of mortgage lending achievable in 2011?
Last week, several of the big banks announced significant drops in gross mortgage lending in H1 2011, following the CML’s move in June to increase its forecast for total lending to £140bn.
Too little, too late? Where does conveyancing go from here?
Optima Legal has warned the conveyancing sector is at risk of imploding, as fierce competition and cost-cutting has left it open to negligence and fraud.
Has a lasting recovery for mortgage brokers begun?
Gross mortgage lending rose 16% in June, as lenders went to war on interest rates and actively pushed funding through brokers. Will this be the start of a sustained recovery for the intermediary market?
How can the industry fight the internal threat of fraud?
How can companies protect their brand and the industry from fraudulent mortgage brokers?
Are lenders betraying borrowers over rates?
The Consumer Action Group has accused lenders of “betraying” customers by failing to reflect the historically low base rate in mortgage and overdraft interest rates. Can lenders justify the rates they charge?
Is buy to let facing a repossession time bomb?
UKAR chief executive Richard Banks has warned that rising interest rates will spark a “tsunami” of home repossessions. Is the buy-to-let sector under the same threat?
Do retention proc fees make sense?
ING Direct has revealed it is considering introducing retention proc fees for brokers. What are the arguments for and against such fees?
How low can interest rates fall?
As five-year fixed rates fall below 4% and a raft of increasingly competitive mortgages are launched, just how low can interest rates go?
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Reasons to be Cheerful
Mortgage broker banned for withholding client files
FSA bans and fines mortgage fraudster £250,000
A dark cloud on the horizon? The MMR approaches
IFS condemns "mess" of housing tax; Stamp Duty must go
Architects brand new builds “shameful shoeboxes”