Mortgages

Five of the country's leading housing and economic experts are banding together to form a task force with the aim of breaking the boom-bust cycle in the UK property market.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted improving market conditions before unanimously voting to hold interest rates at 0.5%, the minutes of the July meeting have revealed.

Mortgage intermediaries performed 23% more mortgage sources in June compared to May, according to mortgage sourcing provider TrigoldCrystal.

Gross mortgage lending rose 17% in June due to seasonal factors, according to new figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The average shelf-life of a mortgage product fell to 14 days in June, almost half the amount of time they were available in the previous month, according to the latest monthly Moneyfacts Treasury Report on UK Mortgage Trends.

The Mortgage Alliance (TMA) has re-launched its protection offering with the introduction of the LifeQuote Protection Portal.

First time buyers (FTBs) need an average deposit of £32,000, research suggests.

Despite the increased focus by some lenders on direct distribution, intermediaries continue to dominate mortgage lending, according to IMLA.

More than half of mortgage brokers want the FSA to regulate the buy-to-let (BTL) market.

Sesame is calling for lenders to resume normal risk-based lending and to increase loan to values (LTVs) to a minimum of 90%.