News & Insight

Buyers have a good chance of bagging a property bargain this winter, with sellers currently offering the biggest discounts for five years, according to new research. ...

The mortgage guarantee scheme will be extended for another 18 months, the Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement. Under the scheme, lenders can purchase a guarantee on any loans where only a small deposit is put down. If...

Inflation fell to its lowest level for two years in October, raising hopes that we may have seen the last of interest rate rises – for now. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 6-3 to leave the base rate unchanged at 5.25% in November, suggesting that interest rates may have peaked for now. ...

More than 6 million people from 22 different countries around the world this year will support the annual ‘Movember’ campaign to raise awareness about men’s health issues. ...

Inflation remained at 6.7% in the 12 months to September, according to latest ONS data, leaving the Bank of England’s next interest rate decision hanging in the balance. ...

Self-employed workers planning to remortgage or buy a property in the next few months should get their paperwork for the 2022/23 tax year in order early so that it won’t delay their applications. ...

One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes, and although survival rates are improving all the time, the emotional, physical and financial effects can be long-lasting. ...

September 23rd marked a year since Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget, which prompted the pound to plummet and borrowing costs, inflation, and swap rates all to soar, triggering mortgage market mayhem. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-4 to hold the base rate at 5.25% in September, ending a run of 14 consecutive increases. ...

Organ Donation Week will take place from 18th-24th September this year, to help raise awareness of the importance of registering as an organ donor. This year’s campaign is ‘Leave them certain’...

Housing affordability has improved thanks to falling property prices and strong wage growth, although rising interest rates are making it expensive to buy, according to new research by Halifax. ...

House prices are now 5.3% below their peak in August last year, according to Nationwide’s House Price Index...

Half of all homeowners had help getting onto the property ladder, with one in 10 (11%) having received financial support from the Bank of Mum and Dad. ...

Homeowners currently on low fixed rates may be keen to overpay their mortgages to minimise the impact of higher rates when they remortgage, but it’s worth weighing up whether saving might be a better option. ...

Many homeowners are taking steps to make their homes greener or have plans in place to make changes...

Annual house price growth fell by nearly 4% in the 12 months to July, according to Nationwide, with higher mortgage rates continuing to affect affordability. ...

This August is National Road Victim Month, was set up to raise awareness of safer driving, as well as to honour those who have died or been injured in a car accident. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the base rate from 5% to 5.25% in August, the fourteenth consecutive increase since December 2021. ...

Interest rates could rise less sharply than previously expected following latest inflation figures which show soaring price rises are finally starting to cool. ...

Here’s our rundown of some of the costs of buying a property...

If you’re approaching the end of your current mortgage deal, you might be wondering whether to act now...

Homeowners on variable rate mortgages, or who are approaching the end of fixed rate deals, are facing big jumps in their mortgage payments - but there may be ways to bring monthly costs down. ...

Average house prices edged down by -0.1% June, according to Halifax’s latest House Price Index...

Thank you to L&C’s protection team for going above and beyond ...

Rising mortgage costs are extremely worrying for homeowners, many of whom may be wondering whether they’ll be able to afford their monthly payments when they come to remortgage. ...

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for the mortgage market, with lenders pulling products especially fixed rates before usually replacing them with higher rate deals. T...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 7-2 to raise the base rate for a record-breaking thirteenth consecutive time this month...

UK house prices recorded their first annual fall since December 2012, according to Halifax’s latest House Price Index...

If you’re worried about rising mortgage costs, there may be ways to keep payments affordable. ...

Is now the time to leave your tracker deal in favour of a fixed rate mortgage? Here’s what you need to know....

Skipton Building Society has launched a 100% mortgage which allows first-time buyers to purchase a home without a deposit, using their rental history to boost affordability. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted by 7-2 to raise the base rate by quarter of a percentage point in May, taking it to 4.5% - its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. ...

National Children’s Day will take place on Sunday 14th May and is all about the importance of children and young people. It focuses on events and activities to celebrate work that supports child and family wellbeing...

Should you go for a two-year or five-year fixed rate deal? ...

With speculation that rates might reduce further, homeowners may be wondering whether now’s the right time to remortgage. ...

World Parkinson’s Day takes place on 11th April, to raise awareness ...

House prices fell the seventh consecutive month, according to Nationwide....

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy voted to raise the base rate from 4% to 4.25% in March, its highest level since 2008. ...

Borrowers wanting green mortgages have a growing number of options to choose from, with lenders recognising the Government’s push for homes to be made more energy efficient. ...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has delivered his first Budget speech this week, with a focus on the cost of living and ways to help people get back into employment. ...

This year’s International Day of Happiness takes place on 20th March, 2023, and recognises the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. ...

Here, we look at some of the steps those whose fixed rates are due to finish in the next few weeks or months should consider taking. ...

Mortgage rates have tumbled in recent weeks as lenders battle to attract borrowers, so those who have put their mortgage plans on pause may want to take another look at what’s available. Many people have held...

Homeowners struggling to sell or remortgage properties with cladding have been thrown a lifeline after the UK’s six biggest mortgage lenders said they would be prepared to lend on affected flats. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by 0.50 percentage points to 3.50%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise....

After years of soaring house prices in many areas of the UK, prices have started to fall in recent months, but what causes them to drop? ...

January 2023 is International Walk Your Dog Month, designed to encourage us to exercise not just our furry friends, but ourselves as well. ...

Soaring gas and electricity costs mean that many of us are looking at ways to make our homes more energy efficient to help keep bills down. ...

If you’re approaching the end of your mortgage deal, you might be wondering whether to remortgage to a new lender, or stick with your current lender. ...

Homebuyers with small deposits have an extra year to use the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, after the Government announced it has been extended until December 2023. ...

The New Year can be a great time to review your financial situation and look at ways you might be able to make your money work harder for you. ...

There’s no escaping the fact that 2022 has been a difficult year, with spiralling living costs placing a huge strain on our finances and forcing many of us to look at ways we can reduce our outgoings. ...

Annual house price growth slowed sharply in November, according to Nationwide, as the fallout from the mini-Budget continued to take its toll on the property market.a ...

Fixed rate mortgages have always proved popular, but tracker mortgages are becoming an increasingly appealing option. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by 0.75 percentage points to 3.00%. Here’s our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise....

Here, we explain what the interest rate rise means for you, and how it will affect your mortgage. ...

Annual house price growth slowed sharply to 7.2% in October, down from 9.5% in September, according to Nationwide’s latest House Price Index. ...

The Bank of England has raised the base rate by 0.75 percentage points to 3%, the biggest rate increase for 30 years. Some had expected rates to increase by a full percentage point, but action taken by the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to reverse tax cuts announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng may have helped to avert the need for such a substantial increase. Rates are rising to try to curb rampant inflation. The Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation rose by 10.1% in the year to Sep...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by 0.50 percentage points to 2.25%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise...

Most of us will suffer from stress at some point, and sometimes these feelings can seem totally overwhelming. ...

The countdown is on to the end of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme...

Charity Macmillan is challenging drinkers to ‘Go Sober for October’ this month to raise funds to support the work it does for cancer sufferers. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the base rate by half a percentage point in September, from 1.75% to 2.25%. ...

Annual house price growth fell slightly to 10% in August, down from 11% in July, according to Nationwide...

his September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign that takes place around the world to raise awareness, support and funding for childhood cancers. ...

Around 370,000 homeowners could reduce their outgoings by remortgaging to a cheaper deal , according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted by 8-1 to increase base rate by 0.50%, to 1.75%, the biggest increase for almost 30 years. ...

Interest rates could rise by as much as half a percentage point in August, the Governor of the Bank of England has warned, with economists predicting that rates could exceed 2% in the next year....

Mortgage affordability tests will be scrapped this summer, the Bank of England has announced. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate to 1.25%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise. ...

Soaring house prices mean growing numbers of first time buyers face a tax bill when they buy. ...

A record £6.8bn was paid out in life insurance, income protection and critical illness claims in 2021, with 98% of life claims settled by most of the major insurers. ...

We've de-bunked nine of the most common mortgage myths that might be putting you off and explain what the real facts are. ...

The deadline to use the government’s Help to Buy scheme will be 6pm on 31st October 2022, giving first-time buyers less than five months to apply. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the base rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25% in June, the first time it has exceeded 1% for 13 years. ...

If you’re looking at ways to reduce your outgoings, think carefully before cancelling your insurance cover. ...

Around 10,600 first time buyers were helped onto the property ladder by the mortgage guarantee scheme in the eight months following its launch. ...

A series of interest rate hikes in recent months has seen mortgage rates more than double since their historic low in October 2021, and with further rises likely, it makes sense to review your mortgage now. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by to 1.00%. Here’s our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise, so you can see whether yours has increased its Standard Variable Rate. ...

Interest rates have risen to 1% in May, the first time they have been at this level since February 2009. ...

Discussing what both you and your family might want when the time comescan provide valuable peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out. ...

Nearly one in five UK adults (17%) thought about buying a holiday let property during the pandemic, according to research carried out by Suffolk Building Society....

April 25-May 1 is multiple sclerosis awareness week, which aims to increase awareness of the condition and the effect it can have on people. ...

Annual house price growth surged to 14.3% in March, up from 12.6% in February, according to Nationwide....

Some lenders have already tightened up their lending criteria to account for higher household bills...

The gap between the cost of owning a home and renting a property is at its widest since 2017, with the costs of owning a home £1,378 cheaper than renting in 2021. ...

Average house prices increased by 9.6% over the year to January 2022, bring the average UK house price to £274,000, up £24,000 compared to January last year. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate by 0.25% to 0.75%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the base rate by 0.25 percentage points to 0.75%, the first time it has increased rates at three successive meetings since 2004. ...

The Bank of England has increased base rate from 0.25% to 0.50%. Here's our rundown of how lenders are reacting to the rise, so you can see whether yours has increased its Standard Variable Rate. ...

Interest rates are on the way up and with further increases expected, it makes sense to think about ways you might be able to protect yourself from potentially steeper mortgage payments. ...

If you’ve previously tried to stop smoking, but taken it up again, don’t lose hope that you’ll never be able to kick the habit. ...

Despite the Bank of England raising interest rates to 0.50% in February, long term fixed rate deals are currently at their lowest ever level. ...

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to increase the base rate by 0.25 percentage points today. ...

Finding out that you have cancer can be truly devastating, whatever the prognosis, and is likely to impact virtually every aspect of your life. ...

The New Year is a great time to take stock and look at ways you might be able to make your life healthier and happier. ...

Soaring living costs are already hitting many households hard but remortgaging to a cheaper deal could potentially reduce your monthly outgoings and make bills more manageable. ...

Here’s a run down of some of the additional services many protection providers offer....

Our opening hours over the festive season are.......