Mortgage News, Insights & Advice
All the latest UK mortgage news, insights and advice from the world of mortgage lending and Oportfolio
Crown Wharf Canning Town: New Build Development in E16
Canning Town has rapidly become one of East London’s most exciting regeneration hotspots, and Crown Wharf by Barratt Homes sits right at the heart of this transformation. Combining riverside living, excellent transport links and modern design, Crown Wharf Canning Town...
Santander Launches 98% Mortgage for First-Time Buyers
Santander has unveiled a new high loan-to-value mortgage aimed squarely at helping first-time buyers overcome one of the biggest hurdles to homeownership...saving for a deposit. The new product, called My First Mortgage, offers borrowing of up to 98% loan to value...
How Long Before A Mortgage Shortfall Debt Is Written Off?
If you’ve ever faced repossession, sold a property for less than the outstanding mortgage, or are trying to move on financially after a difficult period, you may be wondering how long before a shortfall debt is written off, and what your options really are. Mortgage...
Virgin Money Introduces Armed Forces Help To Buy
At Oportfolio, we are keen supporters of anyone who dedicates their life to protecting our country and our freedom as UK citizens. That's why we offer special perks and discounts on our mortgage advice whenever we help people serving in the armed forces. Today we...
Capital Gains Tax Increased For Landlords
A new update to capital gains tax rules coming to the UK within the next few weeks has left both professional and amateur landlords worried about a potentially crippling tax bill if and when they decide to sell a property. A new change in the law that will see the tax...
Will Base Rate Rise Impact Tracker Mortgages More?
Last week, the Bank of England, England's central bank based in Threadneedle Street London, announced that they would once again be raising the base rate for the 11th time in a row. A strategy that the bank's monetary policy committee have been deploying in an attempt...
Bank of England Raise Interest Rates For 11th Time
This afternoon, the monetary policy committee of the Bank of England has announced their intention to raise interest rates from the 11th time in a row after an unexpected rise in inflation. Inflation, which is a general increase in prices and decrease in the...
Coventry B/S Improve UK Buy-To-Let Products
Coventry building society for intermediaries have sent out a communication this morning to mortgage brokers across the UK, announcing that they have made some changes to their buy-to-let mortgage offerings and also their standard UK residential mortgage products. The...
Bank Of Ireland Improve Bespoke Mortgage Rates
Fantastic news coming out of mortgage lender Bank of Ireland this morning as they announce that they are launching some new exclusive bespoke mortgage products, available through mortgage brokers like Oportfolio. These new rates are a very welcome string to Bank of...
HMRC Says Property Transactions Down In February
Data released by HMRC this month has revealed that official statistics show property transactions were down in February 2023 compared to the same time period in February 2022. A property transaction is both the sale and purchase of property in the UK, reflecting the...
Specialist Mortgages For Teachers
Teachers building society, as you can probably guess by the name, is a specialist mortgage lender who offer loans for teachers and other professionals in education. Recognising that mortgages for teachers in some cases could be tricky, Teachers B/S was founded in 1966...
Oportfolio Win 2 Mortgage Awards
In March 2023 team Oportfolio attended the PRIMIS Mortgage Network's annual conference and recognising excellence awards ceremony in Telford. Every year, PRIMIS hosts a day-time conference where mortgage and protection brokers from the network are invited to come...
Changing Mortgage Rates
The hottest finance topic in the UK at the moment is changing mortgage rates. Will they go up? Will they go down? To many, it does seem like mortgage lenders are changing their minds on a daily basis. Just as we thought the market was recovering from the substantial...
Employed Risk Losing Income If Unable To Work
Let's face it, it's our biggest nightmare. Losing a large part of, if not all of your income if you find yourself unable to work. This applies to both employed people and self-employed people. However, shocking research shows that a disproportionate amount of employed...
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,...
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