This week’s top five stories:
1) Fracking house price threat spreads
Manchester homeowners could face uncertainty over the value of their property if controversial fracking proposals go ahead.
2) FCA fines insurance intermediary £2.8m
The Financial Conduct Authority has fined an insurance intermediary firm £2.8m for its poor handling of complaints.
3) Mortgage broker to control Boris Johnson’s affordable housing website
A mortgage broker has won a contract to run a London-wide property portal for Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
4) EU almost shut UK buy-to-let market – MEP
European Union legislators came close to shutting the UK’s buy-to-let market and killing off guarantor mortgages during the mortgage directive negotiations, a key negotiator has revealed.
5) Barclays slashes Help to Buy mortgage rate
Barclays is to cut mortgage rates across its range from tomorrow, Thursday 4 July, including its flagship Help to Buy product.
Here are some stories you may have missed:
Stamp Duty reform: Scotland’s done it, can Westminster follow? – Marketwatch
The Scottish parliament passed a bill replacing Stamp Duty’s ‘slab’ structure with a progressive tax. With a few exceptions, all buyers of houses worth less than £2m will be better off. So, is it time for Westminster to offer a similar reform to homebuyers in the rest of the UK?
High LTV market expected to open up – BoE
Mortgage lenders expect the supply of high LTV products to increase in the next three months, according to a Bank of England report.
UKAR to administer Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme
UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) has been appointed by government to run the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme.
Ask the Experts: Is interest-only gone for good?
Our Ask the Experts column is your chance to put industry figures on the spot. In this edition Graham Sellar, head of sales development at Abbey for Intermediaries, answers your question.
Three things you need to know about landlords’ insurance
Insurance for buy-to-let landlords is now a major sales opportunity for mortgage advisers, Mark Hutchings of Berkeley Alexander looks at the options available.
