Mortgages News

Fri 7th Apr 2006 Brits are turning to overdrafts and credit cards more and more as their penchant for overspending takes its toll on their finances. According to the cahoot Lifestyle Index, 59 per cent of people spend more money than they earn. As a result, 49 per cent are forced to put purchases on their credit cards and 48 per cent use an overdraft. With so many people funding the ...

U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday in a market rattled by a spike in long-term interest rates following a March employment report that showed strong job creation and a jobless rate at a 5-year low. The jobs data did little to bolster the case that the Federal Reserve may stop raising short-term interest rates at its next meeting in May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was sitting just of ...

Millions of investors in final salary pension schemes may be offered bigger tax-free windfalls by their employers under the new A-Day rules that came into force this week. But actuaries are warning employees to think twice before taking the cash on offer. // The new pensions regime has given employers more flexibility as to how they divide up pension benefits for staff. They will now be able to  ...

By Friedel Rother LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 closed nearly unchanged on Thursday, retreating from the five-year highs the index hit earlier in the session as waning bid talk knocked mortgage bank Alliance & Leicester and with rising oil prices pressuring on airline British Airways . Mid-cap healthcare software developer iSoft lost nearly half its market value on speculation about its financial standing, before recovering to end 11 percent down on the day after the company said the talk wa ...

Thu 6th Apr 2006 FirstDirect Mortgages are giving away two brand new mini-coopers for all mortgage applications received before May 14th The group, part of HSBC, are currently offering a number of competitive deals. FirstDirect's Offset Mortgages link your savings and current account balance to your mortgage so that you only pay the interest on the difference. The overall cost for comp ...

Simon Lambert, This is Money6 April 2006 NORTHERN Ireland is continuing to set the pace as Britain's number one property hotspot with house prices rising 18% in a year. ON THE UP: House prices have posted strong gains across most of Britain WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Average house breaches £175,000 DEAL FINDER: Best mortgage rates GUIDES: Buying and selling advice OTHER STORIES Top ten tips for renting a home Homeowners cash in £3bn extra New on the mar ...

Adrian Lowery, This is Money6 April 2006 THE Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at 4.5% for the eighth month in a row, providing no relief to the mounting bills facing householders. LIKE LONDON BUSES: We'll wait a while for a rate cut, but there's no guarantee two will come at once WANT TO KNOW MORE? DEAL FINDER: Cut mortgage costs DEAL FINDER: Cut card payments DEAL FINDER: Better savings deals TABLES: Best savings rates TABLES: Cheapest mortgage rates CALCULATOR ...

By Sumeet Desai and Katie Allen LONDON (Reuters) - House prices jumped again last month, putting the annual rate of increase in the three months to March at its highest in almost a year, the nation's largest mortgage lender said on Thursday. HBOS Plc's Halifax index showed house prices rose 0.9 percent in March, giving a three-month annual increase of 6.2 percent, the strongest pace since last A ...

Michael Clarke, This is Money6 April 2006 HOUSE prices increased slightly in March, pushing the average price above the £175,000 level for the first time. HIGH DEMAND: Demand for housing is strong according to the Halifax WANT TO KNOW MORE? DEAL FINDER: Great mortgages GUIDES: How to get on the ladder EXPERTS: Mortgage questions answered TABLES: Top mortgage rates POLL: What will happen to house prices in 2006? OTHER STORIES Top ten tips for renting a home Hom ...

BOSTON (Dow Jones) -- Shares of home-building stocks traded sharply higher Wednesday as investors reacted to comments from Thomas Hoening, Kansas City Federal Reserve president, who said interest rates are "very close" to where they need to be after a series of quarter-point hikes. The builder sector is sensitive to interest rates in part because higher mortgage rates make homes less affordable ...