Buyers look beyond Europe

Interest in buying property in typical euro destinations such as France and Spain is decreasing as British buyers are affected by exchange rates.
In contrast, the latest HiFX Monthly Global Property Hotspots Report reveals increased interest in American properties as buyers who are put off by the strong Euro are attracted by the weaker dollar and [...]

Skipton rebrands subsidiary

Skipton Information Group is being rebranded to Callcredit Information Group following its recent acquisitions.
The move comes in a bid to more closely align the businesses within the Group; Callcredit, EuroDirect, GMAP, Broadsystem, Legatio and Decision Metrics and refresh the Group’s proposition.
Callcredit Information Group continues to be a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society.
Mike Green, CEO of [...]

Lord Lipsey takes over at consumer panel

The FSA has announced that Lord Lipsey is taking over as chairman of the Financial Services Consumer Panel.
David Lipsey has a background in journalism, financial services and regulation. He takes over from John Howard who chaired the Panel from October 2005 to March 2008.
FSA chairman Callum McCarthy said: “I am very pleased that David Lipsey [...]

ifs School of Finance and Abbey unveil underwriting partnership

The ifs School of Finance and Abbey have agreed a unique partnership for the training and accreditation of all Abbey underwriting staff.
The new collaborative underwriting programme consists of e-learning and workplace activities as well as face-to-face courses and accreditation assessment. There are two levels of qualification available to all Abbey underwriting staff.
The first option is [...]

Fully compliant direct deal sourcing system launched

Home Buyer Systems (HBS) has launched a new product to allow mortgage brokers to source direct-to-lender products while meeting compliance requirements. The launch follows several months of uproar from brokers as lenders withdraw their intermediary ranges, meaning intermediaries can no longer access the best deals in the marketplace.
The new product, HBSLite, is a stand-alone system [...]

Callcredit sees 20% rise in people checking credit rating

Owen Roberts, head of Callcredit Check says that it is finding people taking more interest in their credit rating.
Roberts says: we’ve seen a 20% rise in the number of consumers checking their credit report in a bid to better manage their finances.
“Worryingly, our own data also shows a 6% rise in the number of County [...]

Guardian Debt Management teams up with AToM

Debt management specialist Guardian have teamed up with All Types of Mortgages to distribute its credit management solutions.
Guardian’s instant decision system offers debt management solutions, IVAs, full and final settlements and sale and rent back.
Gary Forrest, chairman at Guardian, says today’s mortgage broker is evolving by adding new products and choices to their toolbox.
He says: [...]

Commercial lenders still showing support for brokers

Adam Tyler, Chief Executive of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers says the trend of lenders turning their backs on brokers in the residential market is not being mirrored in the commercial sector.
He says: “The recent unfortunate trends seen in the residential mortgage market, of lenders turning their backs on brokers, has not been [...]

Paragon reports £94.9m of secured lending

In its interim results today, Paragon reported overall profits of £38.4m, with secured personal finance advances of £94.9m for the six months ended 31 March 2008, compared with £103.3m in the first half of 2007.
The group’s says its focus continues to be on prime business, but has seen significant growth from the secured personal finance [...]

ifs: brokers must embrace TCF principles

The ifs has said that the three fines doled out by the FSA yesterday highlight the need to understand the principles of Treating Customers Fairly.
FSA fined three mortgage brokers for inadequate sales procedures which meant they could not demonstrate that they had recommended affordable mortgage contracts that met their clients’ needs. The announcement of these [...]