Mortgages News

Ros Snowdon Deputy City EditorCOST cuts at Abbey have boosted profits for its Spanish parent Santander, which reported an "excellent" start to the year yesterday.Spain's largest bank said figures for the first three months of the year had benefited from good growth in revenues and lower operating expenses.Abbey reported a 67 per cent increase in net profit on the back of a 10 per cent increase in  ...

Simon Lambert, This is Money29 April 2006 AS a poker player will tell you the key to success is getting the best of the hand you are dealt – the tricky part is knowing when to make your move WANT TO KNOW MORE? DEAL FINDER: Compare fixed-rate mortgages REPORT: Soaring cost of mortgage switch DEAL FINDER: The cheapest DIY loans OTHER STORIES Getting your foot on the ladder Asda ta ...

If interest is the price of money, how do you offer bank accounts, mortgages and financial services without mentioning, using or calculating it? // This was the conundrum for the handful of banks which in the past couple of years have started to offer Sharia-compliant banking and financial services for Britain’s 1.8m Muslims. Islamic teaching encourages trading, investment and charitable giving, but frowns on the giving or receiving of interest, or riba, which it categorises as usury. Muslims ...

BOSTON (Dow Jones) -- Uncovering new, tiny companies with the potential for success is a bit like hunting for treasure. You need to read the map of financials, understand the landscape of the business and do the right calculations or you are just going to wind up throwing a lot of money away with nothing to show for it. So when a company promises to be a treasure, literally and figuratively, in ...

Ben Bernanke’s hints that the Fed might “pause” its interest rate tightening cycle buoyed US stocks on Thursday, helping them recover from early volatility. // Investors had initially been rattled by the surprise decision of Chinese central bank’s to raise interest rates, triggering fears that investment in China could slow. “We have had more catalysts today than any other day,” said Arthur Hoga ...

BOSTON (Dow Jones) -- Home-builder stocks pulled back Thursday as investors reacted to a string of earnings reports littered with order declines, missed expectations and lowered outlooks. A trio of the largest companies in the sector released quarterly results before the markets opened Thursday, and the disappointing results sent the group into a tailspin. Centex Corp. (CTX) started the troubl ...

NEW YORK (Dow Jones) -- Countrywide Financial Corp. shares rallied to their highest levels since last June as the mortgage giant managed to beat Wall Street's first-quarter profit estimates in the face of pressure from interest rates. Countrywide (CFC) said net income fell slightly as the narrow difference between long- and short-term interest rates continued to exert pressure, but the company  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The financial watchdog will expand its regulation of the Islamic mortgage market and of "equity release" mortgages aimed at elderly homeowners, it said on Thursday, in a proposal laying out plans for new provisions. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it would cover "home purchase plans", a sale and lease arrangement acceptable under Islamic law, and "home reversions",  ...

This is Money27 April 2006 SHOPPERS can add another item to their list when out for groceries – a new home – after supermarket giant Asda announced plans to take on estate agents. SUPERMARKET SWEEP: Asda plans to offer homes for sale alongside its other products WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Heat goes out of house prices DEAL FINDER: Best mortgage rates GUIDES: Buying and selling advice OTHER STORIES Getting your foot on the ladder Mortgages to break £ ...

Simon Lambert, This is Money27 April 2006 THE value of homeloans in the UK will burst through the £1 trillion barrier early next month. WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Milk, bread and a new home please DEAL FINDER: Best mortgage rates GUIDES: Mortgage advice OTHER STORIES Getting your foot on the ladder Milk, bread and a new home please New on the market Watchdog sets out new safeg ...