This week’s top five stories:
1) Barclays hikes buy-to-let stress test rate
Barclays will begin stress testing buy-to-let mortgages against what in the vast majority of cases will be a higher rate of 5.79% from next week.
2) British Mortgage Awards 2014: the shortlist revealed
Mortgage Solutions is proud to draw the curtain back on the shortlist for the British Mortgage Awards 2014.
3) Giant US estate agent enlists Charcol to crack UK advice market
American estate agency giant Keller Williams has opened its first of 30 planned property super-centres in London, Victoria using John Charcol brokers to give mortgage advice.
4) Remortgage lending hit hardest by MMR
Remortgage applications suffered most in the month leading up to MMR, figures released by the Mortgage Advice Bureau have shown.
5) Barclays move a blow for London landlords – Ying Tan’s Market Monitor
With a number of big market developments it has been an interesting month for the buy-to-let sector, writes Ying Tan.
Here are some stories you may have missed:
Prepare for MMR slowdown to last until year-end – Stonebridge
So the MMR is here and already brokers have begun to collect some of the more extreme and esoteric lines of affordability questioning certain lenders are taking, writes Richard Adams.
Financial Ombudsman reports record number of mortgage complaints
Homeowners lodged a record number of mortgage complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service last year.
Carney: Rate hike ‘not the right tool’ to deal with a housing bubble
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has tried to defuse expectations of an imminent rate hike by saying it would “not be the right tool” to deal with a booming housing market.
Clegg causes Commons row over lettings agency fees
The government has announced it will force letting agents to publish their fees in a bid to create greater transparency for tenants.
Tenet faces FOS complaints over advice on unregulated property scheme
Two investors are taking TenetConnect to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) after unsuccessfully trying to retrieve money lost due to what they claim was negligent advice to invest in an unregulated overseas property scheme.
Charity corner
Charlbury Group trio to undertake 24 peaks in 24 hours challenge for Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Three intrepid athletes from the Charlbury Group are undertaking a great challenge for a great charity for the company’s annual charity event. Paul Duckworth, Thiago Pereira and Dave Ford are tackling the 24 Peaks in 24 hours challenge with 2 nights of camping in the Lake District.
Dave Ford, director at The Charlbury Group said: “I can’t believe that I’ve been talked into another ridiculous challenge but it’s for a fantastic cause. We’re not completely unprepared as we actually have a tent although we’ve yet to try to put it up. What could possibly go wrong?”
If anyone would like to donate to this cause click HERE.
Mortgage Advice Bureau’s charity cycle
In aid of charity Alex’s Wish, Peter Brodnicki planned to cycle with Mortgage Advice Bureau associates Rachel Noon and Donna Brenchley from London to Portsmouth and across the English Channel to Le Havre in France, to then finish the ride off in Paris.
Click HERE to read the latest installment of his blog and HERE to donate.
