Interest rates stay at 4% – consumer credit reaction

7th November 2025 Consumer Lending | #interest rates

The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4% which affects a wide range of consumer loan agreements from credit card to mortgage payments. Commenting on the MPC’s decision not to change the Bank Rate from 4%, Andrew Gall, Head of Savings and Economics at the Building Societies Association (BSA) said “Many aspiring homebuyers…

Read more

Coalition of businesses and charities demand home ownership reform for millions of renters

A coalition of businesses and charities have outlined a series of demands for urgent reform to unlock home ownership for millions of renters. Following a summit in London on 29th October, the group have sent a joint letter to the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Budget, urging reforms that would ensure renters’ payment history is…

Read more

Affordability gap between Housing Allowance and local rents set to reach record levels next year

29th October 2025 Consumer Lending | #affordability

Rapid rent increases since the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) has been frozen mean the gap between the support low-income private tenants receive and the 30th percentile of local rents is already at 14 per cent (£104 a month for a typical two-bedroom property). This affordability gap is expected to reach a record 17 per cent…

Read more

Buy-to-let lending remains stable

Latest buy-to-let lending by UK Finance for Quarter 2 (Q2) has found that there were 49,590 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £8.8 billion. This was relatively flat compared with the same quarter in the previous year, down 2.6 per cent by number (0.2 per cent by value). The average gross buy-to-let rental…

Read more

Second charge mortgages increased by 10% in August

15th October 2025 Consumer Lending | #mortgages

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 10% in August 2025. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said…

Read more

Consumer finance grew by 2% in August

15th October 2025 Consumer Lending | #consumer credit

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew in August 2025 by 2% compared with the same month in 2024.  In the eight months to August 2025, new business in this market was 4% higher than in the same period in 2024. The credit card and…

Read more

Owning cheaper than renting in most major cities 

13th October 2025 Consumer Lending | #mortgages#rent

Buying a home could be cheaper than renting in most major UK cities, according to Lloyds Bank analysis. The data shows that first-time buyers can save an average of £225 monthly by purchasing a home instead of renting. Their analysis shows that mortgage payments are typically 17% cheaper than rental costs in most major UK cities outside…

Read more

Mortgage borrowing fell in August

Latest Bank of England data showed that net borrowing of mortgage debt fell by £200 million month-on-month to £4.3 billion in August. This came after a £900m decrease to £4.5bn in July. Mortgage approvals fell last month as uncertainty hit one of the key indicators in the property market. Mortgage approvals for house purchases decreased…

Read more

98% of adults still living with parents can’t afford to leave

24th September 2025 Consumer Lending | #affordability

New research by the Skipton Group has highlighted the alarming nature and scale of the housing crisis facing millions of adults trapped living with their parents. The data shows that an overwhelming majority are stuck – 98% of them are unable to afford to buy the average first-time buyer home in their area based on their…

Read more

Interest rates remain at 4% – consumer credit reaction

19th September 2025 Consumer Lending | #interest rates

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to hold interest rates at 4.0%. Commenting on the MPC’s decision not to change the Bank Rate Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy at the Building Societies Association said “CPI Inflation has remained elevated at 3.8% and is expected to stay higher for…

Read more

Mortgage lending increases by 0.3%

10th September 2025 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

Latest data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA has shown that the outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans increased by 0.3% from the previous quarter to £1,703.6 billion, and was 2.6% higher than a year earlier. Mortgage Lending and Administration Return (MLAR) data shows that mortgage advances decreased…

Read more

Over 70s lending increases by 10%

10th September 2025 Consumer Lending | #lending

Later life mortgage lending continues to rise with people over 70 lending increasing by almost 10% according to latest UK Finance data. The data shows that £570 million pounds of lending was to borrowers over 70 up by 9.62%. Meanwhile there were 33,130 new loans advanced to borrowers over 55 in Q2 2025 – up…

Read more

Consumer finance new business grew by 4% in July

9th September 2025 Consumer Lending | #consumer credit

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business grew in July 2025 by 4% compared with the same month in 2024. In the seven months to July 2025, new business in this market was 5% higher than in the same period in 2024. The credit card and…

Read more

1 2 3 97