Mortgage News, Insights & Advice

Whenever the topic of mortgage affordability comes up, most people will tell you that you can borrow around 4.5X your income as a mortgage. That is the general industry standard and has been for a number of years as a means of limiting lender liability and the risk of...

When looking to get a mortgage or remortgage quote, chances are that Bank of Ireland mortgage rates are probably not your first thought! Despite being THE Bank of Ireland, most people would think of the likes of Halifax, NatWest, Nationwide, Santander before BOI....

In a message to all mortgage brokers, Halifax Bank have announced some exciting new mortgage affordability changes. Halifax have recently, like most other lenders, tightened their purse strings as a result of both the covid-19 pandemic and also the economic crisis. In...

As a direct result of the UK's current cost of living crisis and mortgage interest rates increasing at the end of 2022, the interest in purchasing property has undoubtedly dwindled in recent months. People are finding it more difficult to save money for deposits,...

When we say we have good weight in the market, we mean it. There are thousands of mortgage advisors across the country, all competing for business and claiming that they are the best in the business. So why do we make this claim, and why should you believe us? The...

In this brief mortgage rate watch article, we will be taking a look at some recent updates and communications coming from mortgage lenders this week. The first week and a bit of February 2023 has been an interesting one to watch as a mortgage broker and as potential...

In a world where we are all encouraged to be more environmentally friendly, we are constantly looking at ways of reducing our carbon footprint and preserve the world for future generations. One of the major ways that people are looking at doing this, is by making...

In a period that is quickly becoming known as the 2023 lender bidding wars, mortgage lenders are competing with each other on a daily basis to try and secure mortgage business, after a slump at the end of 2022. Lenders are competing with each other by dropping...

The people of 2023 are a considerate bunch. I don't mean to sound insincere with that statement if it sounds that way! Global warming, climate change, energy efficiency and the like is a very hot topic in 2023 and people are becoming more and more conscious about...

New data released by mortgage lender Halifax claims to show that a massive 63% of first time buyer mortgages taken out in 2022/23 are in joint names rather than a sole purchase. That means that just 37% of first time buyers are taken out by a single person on their...

This blog comes from Oportfolio Mortgage's Senior Mortgage and Protection Advisor Jade Pinkerton. I had an appointment yesterday with some clients and it was an interesting conversation to say the least. We discussed many things, but one thing in particular was quite...