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    <title>Mortgage News</title>
    <description>Mortgage Broker &amp; Comparison Site - The Mortgage Finders sums up the UK&#39;s daily mortgage happenings </description>
    <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/</link>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:25:44 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>UK Mortgage Rate Weekly Review</title>
      <description><![CDATA[In this review,we will recap for your benefit the important developments for the past week.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1089.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1089.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Housing market reaction to the budget</title>
      <description><![CDATA[There has been a mixed reaction to the budget announcements from the housing market. The doubling of the threshold for stamp duty to £250,000 was seen as a boost for first-time buyers who save up to £2500. The Labour move to fund this from the increase in stamp duty on homes costing over £1 million is unlikely to draw any adverse comment from the Tories who will not want to be seen as favouring the rich. The extension of the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme for another six months will mean that homeowners struggling with mortgage interest payments continue to be supported at the rate of 6.08 percent.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1088.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1088.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Land registry reports fall in England and Wales house prices</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Monthly house prices fell for the first time in February 2010 since April 2009. The Land Registry reported that prices fell 0.3 percent to £164,455 though year on year prices were up by seven percent. The Land Registry  figures are based on completed sales and therefore tend to lag behind figures reported by lenders. Nationwide and Halifax both reported the fall a few days ago and experts now believe that the recovery in house prices may be levelling off. The recovery appears to have been aided by a reduced supply of housing on the market and low mortgage rates.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1087.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1087.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Disappointing budget</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Overall, a lot of experts agree that the budget is a bit of a letdown. In fact, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne called it "an empty Budget from a tired Labour Government." Chancellor Alastair Darling confirmed that 2009 was the worst year for the UK economy  since 1921 and that 6.2 per cent of the GDP was lost in terms of output. He expects that the economy will not recover to pre-recessionary levels in less than two years]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1086.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1086.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Post Office cuts rates on all fixed-rate mortgages</title>
      <description><![CDATA[In pursuance of its ambition to become a major player on the UK mortgage markets, the Post Office has announced further interest-rate cuts in its entire range of fixed rate mortgages. Following earlier cuts in January and February 2010, the Post Office has announced cuts in two-year, three year and five-year fixed-rate mortgages at 60 percent, 75 percent and 80 percent loan to value (LTV). There have also been cuts in the three and five-year buy to let mortgages at 75 per cent LTV as well as new three-year and five-year buy to let mortgages at 60 percent LTV.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1085.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1085.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>FSA in favour of loan to value limits</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Lord Turner's proposal to limit loan to value mortgages in order to prevent price bubbles in the property market has come in for some criticism. Bernard Clarke, communications manager at the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML),  commented"We don't think that that's an appropriate approach; we think it's a blunt tool in terms of addressing the real sources of consumer detriment." Clark also said that the CML opposed credit control because it could exclude consumers who could otherwise afford the mortgage. Before the debt crisis, lenders like Northern Rock are known to have made mortgages with an LTV of 125 percent.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1084.html</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1084.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Four per cent fall in mortgage arrears in the fourth quarter of 2009</title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Financial Services Authority (FSA) released figures that showed that the number of borrowers who had fallen behind on their mortgage repayments in the fourth quarter of 2009 fell by four percent as the lower level of interest rates continued to assist borrowers in making their mortgage payments. By the end of the year, mortgage accounts in arrears (defined as owing at least 1.5 percent of the mortgage amount) totalled 378,000.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1083.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1083.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>UK Mortgage Rate Weekly Review</title>
      <description><![CDATA[In this review,we will recap for your benefit the important developments for the past week]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1082.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1082.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>FSA chief. says 100 percent mortgages should end</title>
      <description><![CDATA[In an hour-long lecture to the Cass business School in London, the FSA chief Lord Turner has called for restrictions on 100 percent mortgages as well as credit controls and mortgage rationing. He held that borrowers should be forced to save for a deposit and said."We need new tools to take away the punch bowl before the party gets out of hand,". He noted that 75 percent of all bank loans in the UK are made to the property sector and made, not for productive purposes, in the expectations of rising prices.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1081.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1081.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Guarantor mortgages are  becoming popular</title>
      <description><![CDATA[With high house prices and unaffordable mortgages, first  time homebuyers are finding it increasingly difficult to get onto the property ladder. Let us say that you are a first time property buyer who has been told that you will only qualify for a mortgage of £125,000. Unfortunately, this will only buy you a caravan because the cheapest one-bedroom flat will cost in excess of £150,000. You could move to a cheaper area but you have a good job with excellent prospects. Is there any way out of this quandary?]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1080.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1080.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Surprise recovery in mortgage lending</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML ) show that mortgage lending in February 2010 moved up slightly by six percent over January 2010 but is still six percent lower than the comparable figure for January 2009. Gross mortgage lending moved up from £8.7 billion in January to £9.2 billion in February but these figures are still close to the historic lows. The CML said that the figures for the first two months of the year are broadly in line with forecasts of £150 billion for the year 2010.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1079.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1079.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>42 percent of February mortgage enquiries are first-time buyers</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Data released by unbiased.co.uk shows that during the month of February 2010, enquiries for whole of market mortgage advice from first-time homebuyers accounted for 42 percent. The comparable figure for January 2010 was 43 percent. This high level of interest from people looking to enter the property market for the first time is attributed to the decline in mortgage rates mortgages with a high LTV. Nearly one third 32 percent) were consumers looking for specialist remortgage advice whereas just over one out of five (22 percent) 'find a mortgage adviser' search were by consumers looking for residential property advice. ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1078.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1078.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Capital gains tax fears spark panic selling</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Fears that the Chancellor could use the budget this month to increase capital gains taxes has spurred panic selling off stocks and property. Investors have moved to lock into the current capital gains tax rate of 18 percent. The business community is thought to believe that the Chancellor has ruled out the increase because of a possible backlash. The Treasury has conceded that the gap between the 18 per cent capital gains tax rate and the 50 percent income tax rate rate has resulted in some "strange incentives" but the chancellor believes that the political and economic climate are not conducive any corrective action.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1077.html</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1077.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Renewed worries on the state of the mortgage markets</title>
      <description><![CDATA[With an election only a few weeks away, very little has actually been sent by any of the major political parties on the  British housing and mortgage markets.This uncanny silence would probably last only till the actual campaigning begins]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1076.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1076.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>UK Mortgage Rate Weekly Review</title>
      <description><![CDATA[In this review,we will recap for your benefit the important developments for the past week.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/uk-mortgage-rate-weekly-review.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/uk-mortgage-rate-weekly-review.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lloyd&#39;s encourages customers to overpay mortgages</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Lloyd Banking Group has today launched a new scheme that encourages customers to overpay mortgages by up to 20 percent without any penalties or charges. The scheme will be operated up to 31st of March 2011 and is designed to let customers take advantage of the current low mortgage rates. Mortgage payments (principal plus interest) accounted for 32 percent of average take-home pay in the fourth quarter of 2009 against 47 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. This means that the money is left with customers after mortgage payments has increased by 15 percent. ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1074.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1074.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Homeowners are staying with SVR rather than remortgage</title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the association that represents most of the mortgage lenders in the UK, has reported that re mortgages in January 2010 were 15 percent down on December 2009 and 47 percent down on January 2009. A total of 24,000 remortgages with an average deal of £125,000 were sold in that month]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1073.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1073.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rising hopes of profits from the sale of Northern Rock</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Northern Rock has reported  much lower pre-tax losses of £257.2 million for the year 2009 as against £1.3 billion for the previous year. Alastair Darling, the Chancellor, now says to that it is not impossible that the taxpayers would see a profit  from the "good" part of Northern Rock and the winding down of the old mortgage assets. ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1072.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1072.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Home affordability is at its highest since 2003</title>
      <description><![CDATA[A study published by property website Zoopla.co.uk. shows that buyers on an average income can afford 58 percent of UK homes .A home is considered to be affordable if one third of the average income can cover the mortgage payments. The website has worked out an affordability rate based on average income and average house price at present mortgage rates and an LTV of 75 percent. At the market peak in 2007, only 34 percent of UK homes were affordable using this formula. ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1070.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1070.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>State funded banks charging taxpayers the highest mortgage rates</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Moneyfacts.co.uk. the financial information web site has published figures that show that the state funded banks are charging taxpayers higher than average mortgage rates. The website says that it believes that these banks are placing a higher priority on exiting state ownership rather than charge competitive rates to the taxpayers who helped bail them out. RBS has been the most competitive while the others like Halifax, Northern Rock and Cheltenham and Gloucester are struggling to keep up]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1069.html</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1069.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fixed rate mortgage look to be the best bet</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Plenty of people are sticking to SVR mortgages because they look low compared tofixed-rate mortgage, especially tracker mortgages that are tied to the current Bank of England rate of  0.5 percent. In the opinion of Nationwide, borrowers like the current variable rate mortgages which on average are currently about 1.5 percent lower than fixed-rate mortgages. Lenders are however beginning to cut rates on fixed rates to cater to borrowers who are nervous about the weakness of the pound sterling and the massive debt built up by the UK.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1068.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1068.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>UK Mortgage Rate Weekly Review</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Recap of the developments last week]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1067.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1067.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Is the housing market headed for a &#34;double dip&#34;?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[With Halifax announcing a dip of 1.5 percent in house prices between January and February 2010 and the continued slowness of the economic recovery, the housing market scene is all set for a "double dip". The announcement from the Halifax followed the one percent dip announced by the Nationwide and is bad news for homeowners. It increasingly appears that the debt is more fundamental than merely a correction of the December boom. ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1066.html</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1066.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Base rate stays at 0.5 percent so mortgage rates should fall</title>
      <description><![CDATA[For the 12th consecutive month, the Bank of England has voted to keep the base rate at the all-time low of 0.5 percent. Experts say that this is good news for mortgage borrowers who will see continued reductions in mortgage interest rates. Ray Boulger of the independent mortgage advisory firm John Charcol says that with the easing of the economic situation, decisions like base rate will be 'all about the politics'. He expects the outcome of the next general election to have a significant effect on mortgage rates.]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1065.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1065.html</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>3 million borrowers with SVR mortgages ignorant of their interest rate</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Post Office mortgage has said that millions of borrowers could be paying over the odds because they do not know where their SVR (standard variable rate) stands. Despite the Bank of England rate standing at a record low of 0.5 percent, many lenders have significantly raised their SVR and homeowners should not assume that they are getting the best possible deal."If you're thinking about switching mortgage, now is the best time to do it, before rates rise further," said Post Office personal lending director Marco Hughes ]]></description>
      <link>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1062.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.the-mortgage-finders.co.uk/mortgage-news/items/1062.html</guid>
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