Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
New Build Mortgage Affordability Changes Announced By Accord
Accord mortgages, perhaps a somewhat lesser known UK mortgage lender, has today announced some very interesting New Build mortgage affordability criteria. If you are in the market for purchasing a new build residential home, then this new update will be right up your...
NatWest Mortgage Rate Of 3.77% Narrowly Undercuts Nationwide
In a very interesting move this week, one of the UK's big six mortgage lenders has narrowly undercut one of their major competitors to offer the current lowest mortgage rate on the mainstream market. A new NatWest mortgage rate of 3.77% has been released this week,...
Should I Remortgage With The Same Lender?
Is your current mortgage deal nearing its end? You might be wondering whether to remortgage with the same lender or switch to a new one to get a better deal and more importantly, save some money with a lower interest rate! As a mortgage expert I understand that this...
What Is Metro Bank?
In 2010, a new bank appeared on the UK high street. The first new high street bank in the UK in around 150 years in fact! With a big blue, white and red sign, people couldn't help but stop and see what the new 'Metro Bank' was all about. As you can probably guess,...
Self-Employed Need Mortgage Advice – Advisor Insights
In this edition of advisor insights, senior mortgage and protection advisor at Oportfolio Mortgages Jade Pinkerton shares her thoughts about why self-employed people need mortgage advice now more than ever. Jade and the Oportfolio team attended the PRIMIS mortgage...
Clydesdale Bank Buy-To-Let Criteria Changes
New Clydesdale Bank buy-to-let criteria changes have been announced this week. In a message to all subscribing brokers at the beginning of the week, the Scottish based bank announced that they would be making a major change to their buy-to-let criteria that would...
NatWest To Increase Their Overpayment Allowance
NatWest mortgages have announced that they will be increasing their overpayment allowance on their mortgage products, meaning that borrowers will have more of an opportunity to pay back their loan quicker and sooner without incurring any extra fees. Here is a...
More Stamp Duty Incurred By London Purchasers
Shocking research by mortgage lender Coventry Building Society has revealed that despite recent stamp duty cuts and changes to the rules, London based home purchasers are paying significantly more stamp duty than any other area of the country. So, what is stamp duty?...
Releasing Equity For Debt Consolidation Has Increased
2022, going in to 2023 has been an incredibly difficult time for many people. The current economic crisis that we find ourselves in has tightened a lot of people's purse strings, eaten up savings, and has unfortunately left many worse off than they were before. As a...
Two Lenders Make Changes To Their Stress Rates
As we reach then end of the first week of March 2023, the mortgage market has already seen a lot of changes coming in from mortgage lenders. Not all of them positive! Unfortunately a few lenders have started to increase their mortgage rates again, despite reducing...
Mortgage Approvals Low For Fifth Month
Statistics recorded and released by the Bank of England show that mortgage approvals on average have slumped and fallen for the fifth month in a row. This means that more mortgage applications, which would normally go through to offer smoothly, are being declined or...
Halifax and BM Solutions Extend Mortgage Completion
Halifax bank and buy-to-let only lender BM solutions (Birmingham Midshires) have announced this morning that they have made some changes to their products, specifically around their completion dates on selected products and mortgage types. Here is a breakdown of what...
Is Prime London Property Bouncing Back?
Historically, owning prime property in London has been a safe and savvy way to invest your money. People from across the globe have fought to own an exclusive piece of the capital. And it looked like this was going to continue forever. However, a disastrous turn of...
How To Get A Contractor Mortgage
One of the most common questions and enquiries that we get, especially being based in London and working with highly skilled professionals on a regular basis, is the subject of how to get a mortgage as an independent contractor. Contractors are an essential part of...
Accord and Coventry Cut Their UK Mortgage Rates
Both Accord Mortgages and Coventry Building Society have sent out email notifications this morning to mortgage advisors, announcing that they are making some big reductions on their UK mortgage rates. These welcome changes come after a week of uncertainty as some...
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