Mortgages News

Michael Clarke, This is Money21 March 2006 CONSUMER inflation jumped slightly to 2% last month, further reducing the chance of a cut in interest rates. WANT TO KNOW MORE? TABLES: Historic inflation rates DEAL FINDER: Best mortgage rates POLL: Where will the Base Rate finish by the end of the year? OTHER STORIES B&Q collapse savages Kingfisher 12m homes face water curbs Market re ...

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- The recent inversion of the yield curve is not a signal of a coming period of economic weakness, Fed chief Ben Bernanke said Monday. "Although macroeconomic forecasting is fraught with hazards, I would not interpret the currently very flat yield curve as indicating a significant economic slowdown to come," Bernanke said in a much-anticipated speech to the Economic Club ...

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Platinum futures posted a strong gain in New York Monday on fund buying. Otherwise, the rest of the precious-metals finished near steady to only modestly higher. April platinum settled up $11.30 at $1,045.30 an ounce. June palladium settled up $1.75 at $321.50 an ounce. Elsewhere, April gold settled up $1 at $556.10 an ounce, while May silver was steady - settling d ...

PROFITS soared at Manchester Building Society last year despite a first-half slowdown in the housing market amid consumers' uncertainty over interest rates. The mutual, based in Queens Court, Queen Street, posted a 20 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £3.95m as new lending increased by 18.5 per cent to £137m. Total assets rose above £500m for the first time, surging 18.7 per cent to £565m.  ...

Mon 20th Mar 2006 The Norwich Union Fixed-Rate Lifetime Mortgage will have its interest rate reduced to 5.7 per cent monthly equivalent rate. Rates will be applied on a yearly basis and the new interest level equates to an annual percentage rate (APR) of 6.1 per cent. The minimum and maximum interest rates on the Norwich Union Index-linked Lifetime Mortgage have also been reduced to 4.3 ...

Michael Clarke, This is Money20 March 2006 MORTGAGE lending slowed in February, but industry experts insist that the housing market is in a healthy state. WANT TO KNOW MORE? DEAL FINDER: Mortgages GUIDES: Buying a home BLOGS: Mortgage chat DEAL FINDER: Home insurance OTHER STORIES Stamp duty net traps 80% Please release me New on the market Keep the legacy by trimming bills Penali ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Average asking prices on a home rose 4.3 percent on a year ago in the period from mid-February to mid-March, up slightly from 4.0 percent in the preceding 30 day period, a survey showed on Monday. Property website Rightmove said asking prices rose 0.9 percent compared with the prior period after a 2.7 percent gain, taking the new average to 203,399 pounds. Those changes are not adjusted to reflect seasonality in the market. The figures are the latest to suggest the property  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Average asking prices on a home rose 4.3 percent on a year ago in the period from mid-February to mid-March, up slightly from 4.0 percent in the preceding 30 day period, a survey showed on Monday. Property Web site Rightmove (RMV.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said asking prices rose 0.9 percent compared with the prior period after a 2.7 percent gain, taking the new average to 203,399 pounds. Those changes are not adjusted to reflect seasonality in the market. The figures are ...

Stephen Womack, Mail on Sunday19 March 2006 AN Englishman's home used to be his castle. Now it has to serve as his pension. With the surge in house prices, many retired homeowners who want to maintain their lifestyle or are struggling to make ends meet are tapping into the wealth tied up in their property. Equity release allows homeowners to cash in on bricks and mortar without having to move - and the market is growing quickly. But once started, it can be difficult, expensive or even impo ...