Mortgages

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has published its response to the consultation on the proposed homeowner mortgage support scheme, arguing the Government should guarantee the total deferred interest deferred by the borrower for up to ten years.

Mortgage sourcing firm Trigold's January Product Index has revealed the number of live mortgage products has dropped to 4,357 - a figure last seen in February 2002.

Rates on Abbey's fixed range of mortgages will be cut by up to 0.3% today, the lender says, with deals set to start at 3.99%.

Research from Mform has found that just ten lenders are currently offering mortgages up to 90% loan-to-value (LTV) - with Royal Bank of Scotland the only lender part-owned by the Government to do so.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) says the average number of transactions per surveyor fell to a record low in December, despite increasing buyer interest.

The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) has written to Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable ahead of tomorrow's parliamentary debate on repossessions, warning of dire consequences if effective measures are not implemented immediately....

Based on the number of mortgage schemes listed on its sourcing system during the last 12 months, the number of live products has dropped to a new low, figures released by Mortgage Brain suggest.

Lloyds TSB and Cheltenham & Gloucester (C&G) have confirmed they will cut new mortgage rates this week following the Bank of England's decision to cut the base rate to an historic low of 1.5%.

LV= has removed its initial 60-day unemployment claim exclusion, meaning customers no longer have to hold their policy for that length of time before making a claim.

Alliance & Leicester (A&L) has announced the launch of a range of exclusive remortgage deals with three of its key intermediary partners.