Bristol, Belfast and Sheffield were the locations with the highest number of homes bought using Lifetime Isas last year, new data shows. Figures from savings and investment platform Moneybox reveal the average government bonus received by buyers using one of its LISA accounts to purchase… The post Bristol has the highest number of LISA-funded first-time buyers appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has met with the Big Six lenders to agree support for mortgage borrowers amid soaring rates triggered by war in Iran. Reeves brought together the six largest banks and building societies, alongside UK Finance, to “take stock of the impact of the… The post Chancellor meets major banks and confirms mortgage support appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The mortgage industry has long treated compliance as a capacity problem. There aren’t enough hours in the day to review every file, so you review a sample and call it a risk-based approach. Nobody decided 10% for sampling was the right number. It became the… The post Blog: Sampling isn’t a strategy appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
This April marks a decade since the introduction of the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge on buy-to-let purchases. George Osborne is now long gone from frontline politics and busy podcasting, AI-ing and a myriad of other things, but the legacy of his policy is still going… The post Blog: Stamp duty surcharge legacy visible in geography of BTL appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The release of the Financial Conduct Authority’s interim findings on the pure protection market is an important milestone in a lengthy and wide-ranging review of the sector. It’s reassuring that the FCA is not, at present, proposing market-wide structural interventions. This clarity supports stability and… The post Comment: Pure and simple appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
HSBC is making widespread price hikes tomorrow but has not revealed new rates, while Coventry has relaunched the new business range it pulled from sale on Sunday, with prices up to 75 basis points higher. It will be the second round of increases HSBC has… The post HSBC hikes rates as Coventry replaces withdrawn range appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Housing affordability in England and Wales improved during 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS has today published data on house prices and annual earnings to calculate affordability ratios for England and Wales. In 2025, the median average home in England,… The post Housing affordability improved in 2025: ONS appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Blackpool is the best city for downsizers, with Bristol being the worst, according to research from property experts Good Move. The research shows where sellers can maximise their equity and where smaller homes offer the least financial benefit. The study analysed house price data and… The post Blackpool the best city for downsizers, says Good Move appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The benchmark Moneyfacts average mortgage rate has risen from 4.89% on 2 March to reach 5.50% on 25 March. This means the typical annual cost of borrowing £250,000 over 25 years has risen by more than £1,075 per year. The last time the Moneyfacts Average… The post Average mortgage rate rises from 4.89% to 5.50% in March: Moneyfacts appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
NatWest, Metro, Nottingham and Coventry Building Society are among the lenders to announce price hikes this morning. At NatWest, rate increases will come into force tomorrow across the majority of its products and are mostly around 15 basis points. Metro is withdrawing products today at… The post ‘Mortgage mayhem’ continues as NatWest joins hikes appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
