Mortgages News

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- Freddie Mac said Tuesday that it will limit the annual growth of its retained mortgage portfolio to no more than two percent above the level at June 30, 2006. "This voluntary, temporary growth limit is in response to a request of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (Ofheo), the company's safety- and-soundness regulator," the company said in a press relea ...

Tue 1st Aug 2006 A number of Yorkshire Building Society Fixed Rate Mortgages are set to have their rates reduced by 0.3 per cent, the company has announced. New mortgage rates on the two and five year products will be 4.79 per cent and 5.14 per cent respectively, as from August 4th 2006. Interest on these products is paid on a daily basis which means borrowers receive any benefits immed ...

LONDON (Dow Jones) - German unemployment fell to nearly a two-year low, according to data released Tuesday, reinforcing expectations that the European Central Bank will raise its base rate later this week. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in Germany shrank to 10.6% from a downwardly-revised 10.8% in June. The number of jobless declined 84,000. "It's a very good figure," said Alexander Ko ...

Simon Lambert, This is Money1 August 2006 FEARS that pensioners may be selling their properties short to boost their retirement funds have been underlined by a sharp rise in unregulated home reversion schemes. FUN IN THE SUN: Home reversion plans are often sold as ways to enjoy retirement but can prove costly and are unregulated WANT TO KNOW MORE? HELP & ADVICE: 10 steps to equity release REPORT: Beware equity release advice Q&A: Cash in without tears OTHER STORIES  ...

(This updates an item that ran at 0532 GMT, recasting and adding further detail, analyst comments and a fresh share price.) By Ragnhild Kjetland Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Deutsche Bank AG's (DB) healthy 29% rise in second quarter net profit announced Tuesday was overshadowed by the much weaker-than- expected performance of the group's proprietary securities trading.  ...

(This updates an item that ran at 0532 GMT with analyst comment and pre- opening share price movement) By Ragnhild Kjetland Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Deutsche Bank AG (DB) Tuesday posted a 29% rise in second-quarter net profit as strong growth in interest and commission income offset a weaker-than-expected performance from securities trading. Germany's largest bank ...

By Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, beat analysts' expectations with a 13 percent rise in first-half profit on Tuesday as its new chief executive ruled out making any big acquisitions. CEO Andy Hornby said the results, including lifting a share buyback plan to 1 billion pounds, underscored HBOS's prospects and there would be "absolutely no change" in strategy. He said he had no plans to pursue international expansion through acquisitions, as some analyst ...

James Rossiter, Evening Standard1 August 2006 HOUSE prices are rising at their fastest pace for 15 months, Britain's biggest building society reports today. OTHER STORIES HBOS keeps up the pace with £2.6bn Market report: Tuesday preview £110 fine for 'early' bin bags Wembley descends into farce Ryanair chills with a warning of loss THE EDITOR'S PICKS TOP STORY: ...

LONDON (Reuters) - House prices jumped sharply in July, lifting the annual rate of increase to its highest in a year, a survey said on Tuesday, suggesting the property market remains robust. The Nationwide building society said the cost of an average home rose 0.8 percent last month after a 0.3 percent gain in June. That took prices 5.9 percent higher than a year earlier compared with a 5.0 percent annual increase in June, and the highest since April 2005 when the market was slowing after doub ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of Scotland, property magnates David and Simon Reuben and retail entrepreneur Tom Hunter have teamed up to make a 1.1 billion pound bid for builder McCarthy & Stone (MCTY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , topping a rival bid. Mother Bidco, the consortium's bid vehicle, said on Tuesday it was offering 1,075 pence in cash for each McCarthy & Stone share, trumping a 1,030p a share deal the retirement homes specialist agreed last week with Barclays Capital (BARC.L: Quote, P ...