Afin Bank has appointed Rebecca Griffin as chief risk officer. Griffin joins from 118 118 Money where she was chief risk officer and brings over 15 years of financial services experience. She transitioned into compliance and finance spending almost 12 years at Hinckley & Rugby… The post Afin Bank hires Griffin as chief risk officer appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
UK house prices may fall if the government can stick to its housebuilding target, according to housing minister Matthew Pennycook. If the government can building its promised 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament then “we will be looking at the levelling out… The post House prices may fall if govt meets housebuilding targets, says housing minister appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Despite affordability pressures, regulatory challenges and financial caution, 83% of businesses operating in housebuilding and its supply chains remain confident about their outlook for the year ahead, Barclays reveals. Barclays’ anonymised client data from around 70,000 UK businesses, combined with research from 500 industry leaders… The post Housebuilding sector shows early signs of recovery: Barclays appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Almost a third of first-time buyers have a deposit of at least 25%, comparison searches on Moneyfacts suggest. While the majority of first-time buyer searches are for higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages, a significant minority of borrowers appear to have a substantial deposit and are looking… The post One in three FTBs have a 25% deposit: Moneyfacts appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
UK house prices rose slightly in January, according to the latest house price index from Nationwide Building Society. The average cost of a home rose by 30bps on December, with annual property values climbing by 1% to £270,873. Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner said the… The post House prices rise 1% in January, says Nationwide appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
This week’s top headlines: Ground rent to be capped at £250 per year and the FCA seeks views on how to help close protection gap. Explore these and other major industry updates below: Campaigners fear government u-turn on ground rent cap Leasehold campaigners have urged… The post Mortgage Strategy’s Top 10 Stories: 26 Jan to 30 Jan appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Average fixed-rate mortgage prices rose this week, according to analysis by Moneyfacts, but largely due to major increases by one lender skewing the figures. The latest Moneyfacts rate watch found that the typical two- and five-year fixed rate rose by 8bps this week, to 4.85%… The post Headline mortgage rates rise this week, but underlying cuts dominate: Moneyfacts appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
The government is its own worst enemy with meeting housing targets, according to politician Vince Cable. Government interventions have made housing targets, which were already looking unrealistic with the slowdown in new builds, even more difficult, according to the independent Housing Oversight Committee headed by… The post Government is ‘own worst enemy on housing’: Vince Cable appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Net mortgage approvals for house purchase fell by 3,100 to 61,000 in December 2025, according to the latest Bank of England (BoE) Money and Credit report. Remortgaging approvals rose by 1,600 to 38,400, while net borrowing of consumer credit by individuals fell to £1.5 billion… The post Mortgage approvals fall in December as remortgaging rises appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
Residential property transactions were 100,440 in December 2025, down less than 1% from November, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The provisional seasonally adjusted December 2025 figure is 5% higher than in December 2024, HMRC said. Non-seasonally adjusted residential transactions increased by 1% in… The post Property transactions flat in ‘resilient’ December appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.
