Since 2007, Scotland’s LIFT scheme has quietly helped thousands of first-time buyers climb onto the property ladder. Through its Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) and New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) arms, the initiative supported by the Scottish government, offered a helping hand to prospective homebuyers.… The post Blog: Options for Scotland’s first-time buyers narrow appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
LiveMore has more than doubled its mortgage applications in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Between January and June 2025, mortgage applications increased by 132% while completions also went up by 58% versus January to June 2024. LiveMore’s… The post LiveMore mortgage applications more than double in H1 appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
There was a £277.01 average monthly payment increase for those who remortgaged in June, according to the LMS Monthly Remortgage Snapshot report for June. The report also revealed that 46% of borrowers increased their loan size during the month and 45% of those who remortgaged… The post Remo monthly payments rise by £277 in June: LMS appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Former UBS and Citigroup banker Tom Hayes, who was jailed for rigging Libor interest rates, has had his conviction overturned by the Supreme Court. A panel of five justices ruled that his conviction was unsafe, which saw Hayes and 18 other bankers at the… The post Banker Libor rate-rigging conviction quashed by Supreme Court appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The gender pay gap has never been more in the spotlight, with the financial services sector one of the worst offenders. The mortgage market is no exception. At least, that is the case for most mortgage lenders, which are required to report this information due… The post Cover feature: Pay slip – exploring the gender pay gap appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
July 2023 marks the second anniversary of Consumer Duty, the FCA’s tentpole regulation designed to set higher standards for financial services and drive better customer outcomes. Two years on, some firms have seized the opportunity to stay closer to clients and made good progress in… The post Blog: Consumer Duty two years on – are we closer to the change regulator wants to see? appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Raising borrowers’ mortgage loan-to-income limits without the UK boosting its housing supply risks raising house prices, warns the governor of the Bank of England. “I think this is very important. We have said for a long time that the major constraint in our view… The post Looser LTI limits without higher homes supply risks house prices: BoE Bailey appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The Equity Release Council is set to launch a practitioner toolkit in November this year, which is designed to embed vulnerability best practice across the distribution chain. The document will feature structured specific guidance for a range of vulnerable circumstances, adviser prompts and real-life scenarios.… The post ERC set to launch practitioner toolkit for vulnerability best practices appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Suffolk Building Society has joined Mortgage Broker Tools’ platform, marking the mutual’s inclusion on almost every sourcing system on the market. The move adds the full range of the lender’s products across the member’s hub, which passed two million affordability searches in April after… The post Suffolk BS joins Mortgage Broker Tools platform appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Ecology Building Society has launched a renovation mortgage for owners and buyers who want to cut their home’s carbon footprint. The new product is available up to 80% loan-to-value (LTV) at a variable rate of 5.29%. The society says the mortgage rate can by lowered… The post Ecology BS launches new renovation mortgage product appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
