Mortgages

Confidence in the housing market, and stable interest rates have led to an increasing number of landlords expanding their portfolios in the buy-to-let market, new research reveals.

Mortgage lending for house purchase at the end of 2005 stood at 46% of all lending (£37.6bn) reveal new figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The Financial Services Authority could introduce "corrective measures" unless trade bodies introduce measures to improve the payment protection insurance (PPI) industry by 17 March.

The Professional Mortgage Packagers Alliance (PMPA) has admitted a new member.

Anyone hoping the Bank of England (BoE) will cut interest rates in the next couple of months should probably avoid holding their breath, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

Up to 4.2m people in the UK who do not have their mortgages covered by life insurance, new research reveals.

The average house price in the UK stood at £185,188 in December, down marginally from £185,848 in November, according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

House prices fell by 0.4% in January, the first monthly decline since May 2005, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has again voted to maintain interest rates at their current level of 4.5%.

The Land Registry's latest residential property price report shows average house prices in England and Wales rose 4.6% during 2005 despite a fall in prices between October and December.