London & Country Blog

Current Account holders get a Loyalty Bonus on Mortgages

David Hollingworth — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:54:31 +0000

Barclays will tomorrow launch a new range of deals that are only available to customers that already hold an existing Barclays current account. The mortgage products can offer rates as much as 0.54% below that of the corresponding deal in the core range. The aim is to reward existing account holders so, in order to [...]

Forecast of Base Rate Rising to 8% within 2 years!

David Hollingworth — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:47:46 +0000

The think tank, Policy Exchange, this week grabbed the headlines by bucking the trend and issuing a distinctly alternative view of what could happen with interest rates. Whilst many have suggested that Base rate has some time to go at the current low levels (see our recent blog), Dr Andrew Lilico, Chief Economist at Policy [...]

What the papers say- 21st and 22nd August 2010

Lisa Parker — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:00:23 +0000

There were further and more alarming forecasts in the Sunday Telegraph this weekend, with the chief economist at the Policy Exchange think tank warning that rates could rise to 8% within the next 2 years to combat soaring inflation. Mortgage lenders have continued to cut rates over the last week however, making it a good [...]

What the papers say- 14th and 15th August 2010

Lisa Parker — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:01:34 +0000

It’s ‘crunch time’ for the UK housing market claimed the Financial Times this weekend, with brokers warning that a prolonged drop in house prices could make lenders jittery about lending at higher loan to values (LTV’s). The debate over the future of house prices continued in the Telegraph and Independent on Sunday, both of which [...]

What the papers say- 4th August 2010

Lisa Parker — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:12:20 +0000

The debate surrounding interest rate predictions continued today, with two former policymakers warning that base rate could rise to as much as 3% by this time next year, following a period of economic stability. As pointed out in both the Times and the Telegraph, this differs greatly from the majority of forecasts for a longer [...]

What the papers say- 31st July and 1st August 2010

Lisa Parker — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:13:46 +0000

July saw the launch of the new Metro Bank, and as expected there was a great deal of interest in the financial press this weekend. The Financial Times looked at the mortgage and savings rates offered by the new bank, but experts suggested that borrowers would be unlikely to be swayed by these deals until [...]

When will interest rates rise?

James Cotton — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:34:22 +0000

The last month has seen some interesting news and views on the subject of interest rates and when we may see them on the up again. At the Monetary Policy Committee’s July meeting, the Bank Rate was left yet again unchanged at 0.50% – the 16th month in a row. However, MPC member Andrew Sentence [...]

First new UK bank in 100 years opens its doors

David Hollingworth — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:39:07 +0000

Metro Bank opened the doors to its first branch in the UK today. The Holborn branch, or store as Metro calls it, promises to be the first of many with plans for 10 more in the next 2 years and ultimately in excess of 200 stores. Promising a revolution in banking, Metro has focused on [...]

What the papers say- 28th July 2010

Lisa Parker — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:47:27 +0000

There was an element of doom and gloom in today’s Daily Mail, with economic forecasters predicting huge falls in house prices over the next few years, to levels below that of 2007. Some experts feel this is down to the cost of property in comparison to average earnings, which now stands at around 5 times [...]

Is sorry enough?

David Hollingworth — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:08:43 +0000

The question of whether customers get treated fairly by our lending institutions was raised on a couple of separate issues in recent weeks. The position of Northern Rock customers who are now part of Northern Rock Asset Management (NRAM) rather than Northern Rock plc was once again highlighted in the Daily Mail. Because NRAM no [...]