News

The backlog of UK planning appeals has fallen by 9% to 12,086 open cases from a year ago, data from the Planning Inspectorate shows.  The agency says it made 18,346 appeal decisions in the last 12 months to the end of March, in its first-quarter report. It added that last month it made 1,736 decisions, The post Planning Inspectorate carves out 9% cut to appeals backlog   appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

Not surprisingly it was a relatively slow start to the week for mortgage rate movement given the  Easter bank holiday. However, as Rachel Springall points out activity picked up towards the tail of the week with well over a dozen lenders announcing fixed rate cuts. In general, the reductions prevailed to push the average two-year The post End of week sees host of rate reductions: Moneyfacts appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

Brokers risk falling foul of regulatory issues if they fail to consider wills and the lasting power of attorney when recommending later life loans, warns Key.   Almost a third, or 30%, of over-55s do not have wills and 77% do not have a lasting power of attorney in place putting them and their adviser at risk if The post Brokers run risks by ignoring wills and LPAs in equity release deals: Key   appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

This week’s top stories: Halifax cuts rates, including 2-year fix at sub-4% and Renters’ Rights Bill begins Lord’s committee stage. Explore these developments and more:  Halifax cuts rates, including 2-year fix at sub-4% Halifax has reduced rates on a range of homebuyer and remortgage products, including a sub-4% two-year fixed deal. Its two-year fixed The post Mortgage Strategy’s Top 10 Stories: 21 Apr to 25 Apr appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

Rebekah Commane sat down with Adam Oldfield and Richard Pike of Phoebus for a chat about the company’s history, its current ambitions and maintaining its ‘people focus’ The post Phoebus Software Q&A: People first, and giving back appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

HSBC is expected to extend its sub-4% home loans, while Virgin Money trims selected residential and landlord loans by up to 16 basis points.   HSBC will make reductions across the majority of its loans, including rates for home purchases, remortgage and for existing customers coming to the end of a deal who want to stay with The post HSBC extends sub-4% rates, Virgin trims fixes   appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

Please give an overview of your career to date. Before co-founding MQube and MPowered Mortgages with Richard Fitch (MPowered deputy CEO), I spent 14 years at Lloyds, leading its Asia banking business. I was responsible for managing its standalone banking platform, specialising in retail and mortgage lending. Based in Hong Kong and Japan, I also The post One to One: Stuart Cheetham, CEO of MPowered Mortgages appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

L&G’s Mortgage Services has announced the inclusion of Harpenden Building Society to its surveying services panel. The agreement will see L&G’s surveyors trained on Harpenden’s Self-Build process, which will enable the team to provide surveying services in the specialist field. Harpenden’s Self-Build range includes support for barn conversions, new builds (including on owner-occupied land), rebuilds, The post L&G’s Mortgage Services adds Harpenden BS to panel appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

The Financial Conduct Authority will scrap portfolio letters and will instead publish “a small number” of market reports, in a drive to simplify its supervisory letter system.   The regulator says: “The market reports will include communications relevant to different types of firms and insights from our supervisory work.”  The new arrangement will take effect The post FCA scraps portfolio letters in bid to simplify oversight   appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.

Britain completed 31,770 homes in the final quarter of last year, as the government pushes on with its drive to build 1.5 houses over the next five years.   The number of homes built between last October and December was a 32% jump on a year ago, but 14% lower than the previous quarter, when The post Mixed picture for completed UK homes in Q4: ONS   appeared first on Mortgage Strategy.