Housing Minister Grant Shapps has continued his pressure on the FSA to relax its Mortgage Market Review (MMR) proposals, arguing the rules must be proportionate and not put "unnecessary prescription" on the industry.

Average rents rose for the ninth consecutive month in October by 0.4% to a record high of £691 per month, as tenant arrears fell back, according to LSL Property Services.

Buy-to-let lending rose 12% in Q3, supported by ongoing demand for rental property, according to CML data.

House prices rose by 1.8% in October after a steep drop during the previous month, according to the Halifax.

Almost 43% of mortgage holders do not have life cover to protect their mortgage, according to data from Sainsbury's life insurance.

Abbey for Intermediaries is reducing its rates on both fixed and tracker products.

The remortgage market showed signs of recovery after the Conveyancing Alliance reported a 48% increase in mortgage instructions, over the last quarter.

LeadPoint, the online lead generation solutions provider, has announced the launch of its real-time telephone verification system.

The number of mortgage approvals dipped slightly in August, according to the latest Bank of England (BoE) figures, although the drop has been attributed to seasonal factors.