You can take another look at the week’s news and we’ll round up the most thought-provoking or unmissable comments posted after stories or letters sent straight through to the editor.

Comment any time on the Mortgage Solutions website and you could feature in next week’s Mortgage Mutterings.

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Mutuals charge most fees, finds Which?
Mortgage Solutions | 24 Jan 2011 | 09:21
Kay McLellan

Who’s misleading who ?
Surely the basis of this Which report is to further scandalise the lender market and in particular the mutuals who without the government bail out, have continued to lend competitively and keep the market moving. What the article and the headline does not refer to is that in the lifetime of a mortgage, most of the fees they have identified are circumstantial and are likely only to be paid when a customer needs to make a change. Why can’t we just have fair reporting and ditch this sensational scaremongering ? It’s not helpful……….

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Gary

24 Jan 2011 | 12:46

This tells us nothing
I agree with Gary – this is very misleading reporting indeed. There is a whole world of a difference between serially overcharging customers, and having a wide range of fees (most of which are for one-off events that most borrowers won’t encounter). It appears that Which are seeking to shed their ‘fair and not misleading’ image as they launch their own mortgage advisory service.
Dave Ferrier
24 Jan 2011 | 14:40

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DIY mortgages will help FTBs with no deposit, says Boulger
Mortgage Solutions | 25 Jan 2011 | 09:38

Simret Samra

Starvation
Lenders are gorging themselves on a feast of good quality fare and have left first time buyers amongst many others picking up the crumbs under the breakfast table.

Last post

25 Jan 2011 | 10:15
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Direct equity release sales fell 30% in one year

Mortgage Solutions | 26 Jan 2011 | 09:01

Vicky Hartley

Death of a direct salesman
It’s terrific to hear that direct sales of equity release plans is on the wain. Evidence, were it needed; that canny homeowners are beginning to realise the value of independent advice from specialists. I can see a day when the few remaining direct sellers of equity release plans exit completely as they too experience the value of distribution via professional intermediaries. Simon Chalk, Later Life Planner, LaterLiving

Simon Chalk
26 Jan 2011 | 14:52

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Financial crisis caused by inept regulation, says US government
Mortgage Solutions | 26 Jan 2011 | 11:03
Will Roberts

Gerraway!
And the World is round. It’s taken two and a half years to reach this conclusion?
Harry Katz
26 Jan 2011 | 11:24

Inept Regulation
Will we never learn from history or are we happy to keep on making the same mistakes? After the massive problems in the US & globally, in the 1930 s stringent regulation of the markets was put in place to ensure we never suffered in the same way again.

Successive governments and regulator bodies have stripped down these safeguards so, guess what, the financial markets end up in the same unholy mess. Don’t these people learn? – Controls and regulation are there for a reason and you mess with it at your peril.

Perhaps the people who signed off the rules being relaxed should be personally pursued and if necessary bankrupted to help repay the global debts.
John Morgan
26 Jan 2011 | 11:31

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Government calls housing market to arms
Mortgage Solutions | 28 Jan 2011 | 10:11
Mortgage Solutions

Housing Market
The last government had a very workable solution to this in the Mychoice Homebuy lending scheme. They pulled it to redirect the funds to the new- build sector but this never really worked. The Government seem to be able to find the funding to prop up the banks. Redirecting some of this and reviving the Mychoice scheme would have a major effect on the housing market and generally stimulating the economy in the process.

Is this too simple? I don’t think so.

David William
28 Jan 2011 | 11:56

Government banks
As the government has a majority holding in a number of high street banks, why don’t they take the initiative and force the other banks to follow their action? Also, the government is naive if they think that only FTBs are experiencing problems.
H Wood
28 Jan 2011 | 12:13

Call to Arms – first time buyers
I am a sales executive working for a national builder. My problem is not that I have a lack of first time buyers, but they have a lack of funding, mainly because they need such a large deposit.

We can offer shared equity but it is stopping me selling houses and the knock on effect is that tradesmen on my development in Newcastle upon Tyne are being laid off because we are not building. I hope the Government can help me to help my purchasers, my fellow builders and in the long run the country.

Pat Waddington
28 Jan 2011 | 13:59
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Have a great weekend

From the Mortgage Solutions team