HSBC aims to grow the number of mortgages that it provides. They have £15 billion available to lend during 2012 and that should give them 11% of the market. First time borrowers will also benefit from this new found enthusiasm for lending by HSBC if their marketing blurb is to be believed. 90% mortgages for [...]

Self Certification Problems ‘Self-certification mortgages set to be axed! FSA’s mortgage market review, due next week, is expected to require borrowers to produce proof of income in order to secure a mortgage’ Guardian 15 October 2009 ‘Self-certified mortgages, which saw more than a million people receive home loans without proving their income, are to be [...]

The number of defaults on UK mortgages has more than doubled in the past year to 77,000 households. A default occurs when people miss mortgage payments. Reposessions occur when the bank actually takes back ownership of the house. In 2008, the number of repossessions were 40,000. In 2009, the number of repossessions were 46,000. The [...]

Mortgage lending is slowly recovering, though it is still a long way down on the pre-bust levels. Total net lending, which strips out redemptions and repayments, now stands at £3.1 billion pounds 4.6 percent higher than last year. According to, The British Bankers Association, 42,238 loans were approved for people buying a property in October. [...]

2007 saw another record year for UK Mortgage lending. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) show that banks lent a total of £362 billion in 2007, this is unsurprising given the increase in house prices, which has necessitated more expensive mortgages. However, whether 2008, will see a record year is uncertain. With house prices falling [...]

A humorous, but worrying accurate look at the sub prime crisis from the perspective of the Two Johns on BBC. Also a look at the Economics of Fear  Trying to predict Inflation  A look at the year ahead for the UK Housing Market at the Independent