- Brown launches shared-equity scheme for first-time buyers
LONDON - In an effort to help first-time buyers get on to the housing ladder, Chancellor Gordon Brown has unveiled a novel shared-equity scheme that involves the lender, the buyer and the Government.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:04GMT

---

- BBA figures show mortgage lending increased in October
LONDON - Mortgage lending activity increased by 23 percent in October, according to the latest figures released by the British Bankers' Association yesterday. This report lends further credence to the fact that the UK housing market appears to be on the road to recovery after languishing at the bottom for most of the year.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 13:36GMT

---

- Official figures show mortgage lending stable in October
LONDON - The latest figures for the month of October show that the mortgage lending market was relatively stable signaling that the housing market is showing positive signs of growth.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 11:04GMT

---

- Nationwide market share slips; lender predicts flat market next year
LONDON - Britain's biggest building society, Nationwide has said that house prices would continue to inhabit the bottom rung into the next year.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 07:12GMT

---

- FSA finds 'significant failings' among small mortgage brokers
LONDON - The Financial Services Authority has come down heavily on small mortgage brokers saying that they still had significant failings in conducting the business of advising and selling home loans to consumers who had to present their own incomes.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 21:04GMT

---

- Mixed reactions to interest rate freeze by Bank of England
LONDON - The Bank of England left its key repo unchanged at 4.5 percent according to what was expected, but analysts are not so happy with this decision. The UK economy is in doldrums at best and analysts feel that leaving the rate corrections for too long does not bode well for the near future.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 20:04GMT

---

- Britons pay record stamp duty for home buys
LONDON: Homebuyers in Britain shelled out 5.5 billion pounds to pay stamp duty in 2004, according to official figures. This signified a 50 per cent increase and has some critics naming it as yet another stealth tax adopted by the Labour government.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 07:04GMT

---

- September mortgage approvals hit 15 month high
LONDON - The Bank of England has revealed that its latest survey shows that the number of mortgages approved increased in September, underlining the fact that the UK housing market is strengthening by the day.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:32GMT

---

- Mortgage lending in the UK increased in September: BBA
LONDON - Gross mortgage lending in the country hit the highest mark since the last 14 months. The total lending by UK banks rose to £17.8 billion in September, according to the British Bankers' Association (BBA).

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 06:12GMT

---

- Homeowners in trouble as repossession orders hit new high
LONDON - Figures from the Department for Constitutional Affairs show that the housing market may not be as strong as believed since the third quarter has seen a massive jump in home repossession orders.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 06:12GMT

---