Industry

Gross lending in the buy-to-let mortgage market grew in Q3 for the first time in two years, according to CML figures.

The FSA has banned a mortgage broker for fraud and concealment of governance arrangements.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey says it has sold its entire stock of homes for 2009 and will raise prices on houses sold next year.

The variety of qualifications available to financial advisers must be simplified and better communicated to consumers if the industry is to succeed in increasing take-up of advice, Which? says.

The ABI is calling on the FSA to provide more clarity on how a 'simplified advice' process would work post RDR and in particular the level of qualifications needed for the distribution stream.

Skandia has appointed Andy Davies as director of adviser sales and Steve Powell as director of corporate partners.

Fears current professional qualifications will become redundant post-2012 and uncertainty about new qualifications remain widespread, according a debate chaired by The Personal Finance Society (PFS) today.

The British Standards Institute (BSI) will develop a standard for compliance by retail and wholesale financial firms in the UK.

The FSA has banned an east London mortgage broker for knowingly submitting "false and misleading" income details in mortgage applications.

Investors should have increasing confidence in a UK economic recovery as the housing market shows strong signs of bottoming, Richard Woolnough believes.