mortgages

Barclays is trying to increase the amount of business it does with intermediaries with the launch of a website designed to help advisers conduct overseas mortgage business.

Coventry Building Society plans to launch a specialist mortgage company which will operate exclusively for intermediaries.

An increase in the traditional rental market could see the buy-to-let sector growing by more than 40% by 2016, claims Alliance & Leicester Mortgages.

If it's Tuesday, then it must be Brussels. "Lifestyles of the rich and shameless," as one industry colleague said to me on hearing that I would be in the seat of European power the next day.

One in five homebuyers in England and Wales is paying a higher stamp duty rate of 3%, according to research from Halifax.

Half of consumers believe it is compulsory to buy life insurance when taking out a mortgage, according to a survey from the Financial Services Authority.

Financial advisers are the most significant source of influence for consumers purchasing protection and mortgage products, according to research by Teamspirit.

The Financial Services Authority has appointed Mandy Spink as head of mortgages and credit unions in the small firms division.

Gross mortgage lending hit an all-time January high of £26.8bn, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Over half of consumers shopping for a mortgage online will consult a financial adviser too because the web fails to meet their expectations, according to research from user experience consultancy Foolproof.