Green mortgages explained

So, what are green mortgages? Green mortgages come in many different forms, but all aim to incentivise buyers in the purchase of energy efficient homes or make energy-related improvements. Through increased innovation and rising environmental awareness, green mortgage products are being launc…

How to adapt your business in an ever-changing world

Mortgage brokers have long been experts in dealing with new challenges. Be this in the form of regulation, technology – especially AI –, a worldwide pandemic, rising interest rates and heightened cost of living pressures. That’s quite a list, but it still doesn’t cover a fraction of the questions …

How to help clients when they have more money than expected

In recent times, there’s been much talk around the financial challenges facing the UK population. However, it’s important to remember that financial circumstances can also improve. Additional, and often unexpected, funds can come in differing forms such as inheritance, insurance payout(s) or even …

What’s next for buy-to-let?

The buy-to-let market has undergone some major challenges and changes in recent years, all of which have impacted landlords and property investors to varying degrees. Rental yield has long been a vital component within landlord calculations but another increasingly important consideration in recen…

Help to buy alternatives

For almost 10 years, the Help to Buy scheme proved incredibly successful in helping over a quarter of a million borrowers across the UK to buy a home. But, with this scheme now having ended in England and Scotland, this leads to the question of what – if anything – can replace it. In the latest ep…

The Marathon Mortgage - here to stay or a passing phase?

The mortgage market is currently experiencing growing demand for long-term mortgages – otherwise known as marathon mortgages - with some lenders even offering up to 40-year terms to help attract more young buyers onto the property ladder. So, will marathon mortgages be THE 2024 trend for first-tim…

How do lenders really set their rates?

The past few years have seen the relentless rise of the Bank of England base rate dominate lending and borrowing decisions across the mortgage market. This significant uplift has led to an even more complicated picture around affordability, stress testing, the influence of mortgage swap rates and g…

What on earth is going on with the housing market?

The UK's housing market remains in a state of flux. Interest rates are at their highest level for 15 years, house prices are faltering, and the UK economy is still feeling the lingering aftermath of last year’s mini-budget. On a more positive note, following a period of swap rate turbulence, mortg…

The UK Economy – Stick or Twist?

The UK economy continues to dominate conversations across the country in the wake of the transition to a higher interest rate environment, rising cost of living pressures, an increased focus on unemployment figures and shifts in the labour market. In a bid to unpick the current economic position a…

Mortgage Insider Season 5 Trailer

Returning soon, a new series Mortgage Insider, Barclays' award-winning podcast for mortgage brokers. Hosted by TV presenter and property expert Phil Spencer, the new series will see leading industry experts, brokers and Barclays’ own team of experts continue to delve deep into the pressing issues …