Mortgages

John Goodfellow, chief executive of Skipton Building Society, has been elected chairman of the Building Societies Association (BSA).

The Government has extended the deadline for the final stage of HIPs implementation until the end of the year.

The number of possession claims made by mortgage lenders has grown by 16% in the first quarter of 2008, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Alliance & Leicester is to launch a new range of mortgages available through brokers and at branches.

The FSA needs to make clear whether it refers to lenders, intermediaries or both when communicating messages about the performance of firms, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The Woolwich has become the latest lender to lower its loan ratios for new borrowers and is now demanding a deposit of at least 10%.

Hector Sants has confirmed that the FSA's definition of ‘whole of market' takes into account the fact that many mortgage deals are not offered through intermediaries.

Sub-prime mortgages are still providing business opportunities for UK brokers despite major problems in the US market over the past year, according to BDS Mortgage Group.

Landlords could avoid up to £600 of tax by taking advantage of ‘green' tax breaks when upgrading their properties, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA).

Paradigm Mortgage Services has launched an online forum where brokers can submit queries to other members and directly to lenders.