Mortgages & me
Bringing both explanation and humour (yes, it is possible) to an often perceived realm of boredom
Mortgages. Let’s not kid ourselves here. If you had the choice of having one or not then there would be no choice. However, the vast majority of us, Russian billionaires excluded, need them to fuel that much loved British tradition – homeownership. So, if we all accept that we need them, you may as well do something positive and get the best one for you. It is staggering how many people make sure they get value for money from every day items but do not manage their home loan properly - the savings far outweigh the difference between the best baked beans and the value ones.
So, this blog will attempt to look at the world of mortgages and the housing market and try to bring both explanation and humour (yes, it is possible), and spark some comment, to an oft perceived realm of boredom. Here goes…
Drew Wotherspoon
04/03/2010 by
Following the publication of last month’s Quarterly Inflation Report there was little doubt that bank rate would remain on hold this month. The good news for borrowers is that while bank rate remains dormant, mortgage rates...
23/02/2010 by
Towergate Financial Acquires John Charcol
Towergate Financial, the financial advisory business of the Towergate Partnership, today announces the acquisition of John Charcol, the leading independent mortgage advisory business.
Under...
04/02/2010 by
Let's make the first bit quick. Bank rate was held at 0.5% by the Bank of England today, no surprise there then...however, of more interest is...
The return of the remortgage?
The slowly improving mortgage market will certainly...
04/02/2010 by
Just 40 minutes to go before February's announcement from the Bank of England on Bank Rate. You'd have to be a brave person to predict anything other than a hold but whether QE is stopped or not is not quite as easy to call. ...
21/01/2010 by
The big news today is that the Skipton Building Society has increased its Standard Variable Rate from 3.5% to a staggering 4.95%, at the same time breaking contracts with thousands of their borrowers. They had promised never to...
20/01/2010 by
Variable rate mortgages accounted for more than four in every five (80.9%) home loans arranged by John Charcol in the last month of 2009. The John Charcol Index revealed that the proportion of fixed rates has fallen below 20% for...
19/01/2010 by
There is a possibility that interest rates could rise sooner than expected after the latest inflation figures showed a larger than anticipated rise to 2.9% in December. Some of the increase can be attributed to VAT being lower...
11/01/2010 by
With Yorkshire Building Society announcing cuts from today across the board in its fixed rates, they become the latest lender to cut rates despite a static bank rate and swap rates at the top end of their recent trading range. ...
Categories: Fixed rate mortgages, Mortgages, Interest rates
08/01/2010 by
There is much debate in the industry and press currently as to the right course of action when it comes to picking a mortgage. At JC, we still believe that trackers are likely to be the product of choice for some time, but would...
20/11/2009 by
Commenting on the announcement from Abbey that they are to offer fee free current accounts to borrowers who have their mortgage with them, Drew Wotherspoon of John Charcol, says:
"As ever, the devil will be in the detail. The...
The blog postings on this site solely reflect the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of John Charcol. All comments are made in good faith, and neither John Charcol nor Drew Wotherspoon will accept liability for them.