Industry

Bradford & Bingley (B&B) says mortgage arrears at the firm, which was crushed by the financial crisis last year, more than doubled in the first half of 2009.

UK home repossessions fell by 10% in the second quarter of the year compared with the first three months of 2009, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) suggest.

The UK Government must step up its pressure on lenders if it wants to free the market from its "heavy constraints", the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) says.

Lending on shared ownership properties accounted for 33% of business at Cheshire Mortgage Corporation (CMC) in Q2 2009, up by 16% on the same period for 2008.

Average LTVs for residential mortgages fell by 2% to 67% in Q2 2009 as banks remained cautious about lending, according to research by the Mortgage Advice Bureau.

Signs of revived interest in the housing market comes in the July survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The number of mortgages granted in June was up 23% from the month before, new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) shows.

The FSA has defended its position regarding lenders that slap unfair charges on mortgage customers in arrears after criticism by MPs in the Treasury Committee.

Remortgaging advice searches on Unbiased.co.uk increased to 33% of all consumer requests in June.

House prices will end 2009 higher than they started the year due to price rises in certain areas over the past few months, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).