Mortgages

House prices fell for the third consecutive month in June as the market recovery showed further signs of faltering, according to the Halifax.

Over 500 key mortgage players gathered last night at the London Hilton for the British Mortgage awards in association with Mortgage Solutions.

John Charcol has launched The Interest Rate Protector, an interest rate cap that protects borrowers with large mortgages from rising rates.

The FSA today banned six individuals - fining one of them £130,000 - for failings in relation to mortgage fraud, taking the total number of brokers banned in the last three years to 91.

The lack of quality advisers to service borrowers when mortgage sales pick up will be a major concern for the industry, according to an exclusive Mortgage Solutions report.

Nationwide is to stop offering mortgages through its Dunfermline, Cheshire and Derbyshire Building Societies brands, which will refer mortgage customers to Nationwide through in-branch independent financial advisers.

Lettings agency and property service Countrywide has bought The Letmore Group, a large independent specialist rental agency in East London and Essex.

Lenders fear residential lending could be restricted further over the next three months, according to a Bank of England (BoE) report.

Lloyds is to slash 650 jobs across the UK with insurance and back office-based staff in Nottingham and Chester hardest hit.

First Complete chief executive Gerry O'Brien has left the network with immediate effect.