Mortgages News

By Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - HBOS (HBOS.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , Britain's fourth-biggest bank, beat analysts' expectations with a 13 percent rise in first-half profit on Tuesday and increased its planned share buyback to 1 billion pounds. New chief executive Andy Hornby said the results 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 analysts expect. "I have ...

LONDON (Reuters) - HBOS, Britain's fourth-biggest bank, beat analysts' expectations with a 13 percent rise in first-half profit on Tuesday, and increased its planned share buyback to 1 billion pounds. Britain's biggest mortgage lender said underlying pretax profit was 2.61 billion pounds in the six months to the end of June, above an average forecast of 2.53 billion from 11 analysts polled by the company. It also said it would buy back up to 1 billion pounds of its shares this year, above the  ...

LONDON (Market Watch) -- HSBC Holdings, the world's third-largest bank, reported Monday a 15% jump in first-half net profit after ramping up its profit from investment banking and emerging markets. HSBC said six-month net profit was $8.73 billion, up from $7.60 billion a year ago. Pretax profit climbed 18% to $12.52 billion, comfortably ahead of an AFX News- compiled forecast of $11.47 billion ...

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 index fell on Monday from 2-1/2 month highs struck in the previous session, with financials such as Northern Rock (NRK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) hit by concerns that global interest rates are heading higher. New evidence of the bullish housing market turned thoughts towards Thursday's Bank of England rate decision meeting while economists polled by Reuters last week saw a 30 percent chance of the Bank of England raising rates in Aug ...

(This updates an item that ran at 0946 GMT with additional comments from company.) By Henry Teitelbaum Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON -(Dow Jones)- HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA.LN, HBC) Monday reported a 15% rise in first-half net profit on strong revenue growth in new businesses and emerging markets and as costs declined in corporate and investment banking. The world's third-largest bank by ...

TOP tips to mitigate the tax you need to pay on your buy-to-let property: 1. Speak to a tax expert - tax is a complex area and it is worth paying to speak to an expert 2. Claim all the tax relief that is due to you Advertisement your story continues below 3. Consider an interest-only mortgage 4. Reduce Stamp Duty - in certain `disadvantaged areas' properties worth less than £150,000 are ...

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- As home energy bills soar, government agencies and private lenders are offering homeowners thousands of dollars in financing to seal off drafty windows and purchase energy-saving appliances. These long-term, low-interest mortgages and loans are aimed at efficiency- minded homeowners who want to cut their utility bills. Borrowers can often arrange 30-year loan periods a ...

New mortgage approvals reached 120,000 in June, official figures have shown - the highest level for five months. The Bank of England (BoE) said that approvals were 3,000 higher than May's figure, although total new mortgage debt was slightly lower in June. House price inflation in the UK during 2006 has outstripped most analysts' forecasts, and the BoE figures suggest this trend is continuing. But the BoE added that new lending on credit cards was at a 12-year low. Market strength  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's biggest bank HSBC Holdings (HSBA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) beat analysts' median forecast with an 18 percent rise in first-half profit on Monday, helped by a strong performance at its investment bank and in emerging markets. The London-headquartered bank said it made a pretax profit of $12.52 billion (6.7 billion pounds) in the six months to the end of June, up from $10.64 billion a year ago and above a median forecast of $11.52 billion from 11 analysts polled by ...

Richard Dyson, Financial Mail30 July 2006 THE medical name is gestational diabetes. It simply means raised blood sugar levels during pregnancy and it affects one in 30 mothers-to-be. In many cases it does not need treatment. It simply goes away after the birth and is forgotten. SHOCKED: Maxine Gordon-Jarrett, with husband Michael and son Chadwick WANT TO KNOW MORE? FEATURE: My spy tape ME misery REPORT: Watchdog critical of illness cover COMPARE: Life insurance policies O ...