Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
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...
5.5X Income Mortgage Available For First Time Buyers
Is it possible to get a 5.5X income mortgage? That is a very common question that I am hearing more and more. Mainly because borrowing money is becoming more difficult. When I first started working in mortgages and property, there were plenty of purchase schemes...
What Is A Mortgage Illustration?
Most people know about mortgage affordability checks, deposits, credit checks and mortgage offers. But what about arguably the most important part of the mortgage application process? The document that shows you exactly what your mortgage advisor recommends and shows...
What Is Bridging Finance?
For anyone looking for temporary short-term lending, perhaps bridging finance could be for you. Bridging finance is a great solution for people who need a quick, temporary cash injection but don't want to have to take out a conventional long-term mortgage. In this...
Offset Mortgage Saves Borrowers Money
Key facts: Clients owned their own property with £150,000 outstanding on their current mortgage Both clients were in their 50's and hoping to retire in a few years They had money in savings and for a while had considered clearing their mortgage with this money, to...
Santander Lowering Mortgage Rates
Santander have been the latest in a bunch of lenders to start reducing their mortgage rates, a good sign after volatile few weeks of increasing rates. Santander lowering mortgage rates comes after the former Prime minister Liz Truss resigned and the new PM Rishi Sunak...
What Is A Let-To-Buy Mortgage
Do you own a residential property, either with or without a mortgage? Are you looking to move to a new home but struggling to sell your property? Or perhaps you just fancy keeping hold of the home for the time being? Maybe a let-to-buy mortgage is for you. A...
Are Mortgage Rates Dropping?
The Telegraph and other news outlets reported over the weekend that we may be seeing the first signs of mortgage rates dropping since the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng announced a disastrous mini budget a few weeks ago. But are rates...
Exclusive Mortgage Broker Rates From Virgin Money
The lending arm of Richard Branson's mega corporation Virgin, Virgin Money sent out an email to mortgage brokers today to announce that they have launched some new exclusive mortgage broker rates for residential and buy-to-let borrowing. As members of the PRIMIS...
Interest Rate Rises Not As Bad As Expected?
In a statement today, the deputy governor of the Bank of England Ben Broadbent announced that the rate rises that we have seen in recent weeks and month might be more than we actually need. Meaning that the interest rate rises, and the outlook of the economy...
Quick Action Saves Mortgage Borrowers Money
Key facts: Clients were contacted by Oportfolio 6 months before their fixed rate deal was due to end They had been enjoying a fixed rate mortgage for 2 years and had completely forgotten that their rate was due to expire If they hadn't been contacted, they would have...
Accord Now Offers 95% Home Mortgages
In this day and age, 95% mortgages are few and far between unfortunately as lenders are still cautious about how much they lend and who qualifies for the higher mortgages. Now, a standard deposit amount is normally a minimum of 10% i.e. 90% mortgage, with...
Mortgage Offer In A Week For Tricky Case
Key facts: Clients were British citizens living in the US Having recently secured a job in London, the couple decided that they would re-locate to the UK and wanted to buy a home here. They had a mortgage in the US on their previous residence that wasn't sold yet....
Property Prices Are Still High – For Now
New data produced by property website Rightmove yesterday shows that property prices are still high and breaking records, despite the economy struggling in recent months. We, like most financial service companies think that property prices are likely to reach a...
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