Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
High Value Mortgages for the 5th Wealthiest City in the World
London may be the UK's capital, but it's officially the 5th wealthiest city in the world. It has over 350,000 millionaires living within it, hundreds of international headquarters, and some of the world's most desirable property, so it's no mystery that high value...
How To Build A Property Portfolio
If you’ve ever wondered how to build a property portfolio in the UK, then this is the right blog for you. More and more people are looking at property investment as a way to generate long-term wealth, diversify income streams, and build financial security for the...
New HSBC Top Slicing Mortgage Criteria Announced
HSBC has announced a major policy change that’s set to help landlords across the country the introduction of top slicing for buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage applications. This new approach gives investors the ability to use personal income alongside rental income when...
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...
Are Over-50s Being Priced Out By The Recession?
As more and more news articles are produced about the current economic struggles that the UK faces, we hear a lot about the impact that the economic crisis will have on young people. However, studies show that a large amount of over-50s are actually concerned about...
We're Here to Help
If you have any questions about UK mortgage news or anything you’ve read then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.











