Untapped potential: Equity release diversification presents advice opportunity

The equity release market is growing apace. Last month, the Equity Release Council (ERC) confirmed that lending hit an all-time annual high of £1.6bn in 2015. Yet there remains huge untapped potential. Our latest research shows that this figure represents less than 1% of the potential size of the UK market, estimated at £360bn. This is exciting news in itself, but more exciting still is the diversification of both where that potential lies and the reasons over 55s are giving for using equity release. Housing wealth is growing more quickly outside the predictably buoyant South East,...