Specialist

Hodge Lifetime has announced plans to reduce new equity release lending and restructure its business to concentrate on its pension annuity arm.

Equity release provider Stonehaven has temporarily suspended all new lending.

Adviser Equitycare has merged with Better Retirement's domiciliary care brand - Paying for Care at Home.

The equity release industry has spoken out against calls from the Society for Equity Release Advisers (SERA) to ban telephone-based equity release advice.

Landlords saw a 7.6% annual return on their investments by the end of December 2009, according to the latest index from LSL Property Services.

Homeowners considering equity release are spending longer investigating product choices before making a decision, according to research from the equity release solicitors' alliance (ERSA).

Next year is likely to present an even greater challenge for the private rented sector (PRS) than seen in 2009, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).

Annual returns in the buy-to-let market are improving, according to the latest index from LSL Property Services.

Prudential is to withdraw from the equity release sector in the first quarter of 2010 after deciding to deploy capital to other parts of its business.

The FSA says it is not blocking self-employed and contract workers from getting a mortgage by banning self-cert products.