Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said:
“The second charge mortgage market reported growth in each month of 2024, with new business volumes up by 17% in 2024 overall to reach almost 36,000 new agreements. This was the highest annual total since 2009.
“The distribution of new business by purpose of loan in 2024 was in line with the previous year, with the proportion of new agreements which were for the consolidation of existing loans at 59.0%; for home improvements and the consolidation of existing loans at 22.9%; and for home improvements only at 12.5%.
“As always, customers who are concerned about meeting payments should speak to their lender as soon as possible to find a solution.”
Source: FLA
Business confidence hits two year low
UK business confidence has reached its lowest point in nearly two years, according to the latest Business Trends Report by BDO. The BDO optimism index fell by 5.81 points to 93.49 in November, marking the steepest month-on-month decline since 2021. Firms are grappling with rising costs, reduced customer confidence, and falling orders, leading to a potential economic contraction.
Mortgage affordability improving but borrowers still stretched: Nationwide
There has been a modest improvement in UK housing affordability over the last year, due to earnings growth marginally outpacing house price growth and a slight reduction in average borrowing costs.
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