March 2010
29-03-2010 11:57 -
Year-on-year growth in house prices is continuing to accelerate, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), in news that could provide a major boost to the equity release market.
Rics stated that the year-on-year increase now stands at seven per cent despite Land...
26-03-2010 11:20 -
Equity release plans could be a useful means of raising funds for many consumers.
That's according to Andrea Rozario, director general of Safe Home Equity Plans (SHIP), who has called on the government and industry to ensure that consumers have confidence when they opt for equity release...
25-03-2010 11:05 -
Many British people have been putting more money into savings over the past year, which could mean that they will be in a better position to take advantage of equity release schemes.
Thrifty Britons have saved £59.4 billion in the last 12 months, according to figures from...
24-03-2010 10:47 -
The younger generation are said to be more willing to talk openly about their financial planning, in news that could mean they will be better-prepared to take advantage of equity release schemes in future.
Jeremy Sutton, head of savings and investments at Tesco Bank, said: "Unlike...
23-03-2010 10:54 -
Many homeowners are currently taking advantage of historically low mortgage rates, which could be giving them the opportunity to store up extra equity in their homes.
Mortgage-holders are increasingly opting to remain on their lender's standard variable rate (SVR), according to new...
22-03-2010 10:28 -
A range of properly considered measures could be put in place to deliver sustainable growth in the housing market, it is believed, which in turn could boost the equity release sector.
More research needs to be done to identify the particular causes of consumer detriment in the property...
19-03-2010 15:42 -
People considering home equity release schemes have been told that an estimated 1.3 million people plan to use their property to provide a retirement income, according to LV=.
The Liverpool-based friendly society's research indicates that while one-quarter of over-50s, or 2.3 million...
19-03-2010 11:09 -
New figures show that there has been a fall in the number of homeowners in arrears on their mortgage, which could mean that more people may be able to take advantage of equity release products in future.
In the final quarter of last year, there was a four per cent drop in the number of...
18-03-2010 11:07 -
Lloyds Banking Group is amending its rules to enable homeowners to increase their mortgage overpayments, in a move that could boost the equity release sector in the coming years.
The bank has launched its new scheme under which customers with variable rate mortgages can overpay by up to 20...
17-03-2010 10:34 -
The Building Societies Association (BSA) has said that house buyers expect property prices to grow, which could be good news for people aiming to secure funds through equity release plans.
On average, people expect house prices to rise by 2.2 per cent over the next 12 months, according to...
16-03-2010 10:42 -
Homeowners who are considering the benefits of mortgage release schemes have been told to obtain specialist equity release advice before making a final decision.
Specialist equity release advice is beneficial because there is such a variety of options and organisations offering mortgage...
15-03-2010 10:51 -
Equity release issues are moving to the forefront of political debate concerning the funding of retirement, it is believed.
Andrea Rozario, the director general of Safe Home Income Plans (SHIP), has welcomed recent discussions by the All Party Parliamentary Group focusing on insurance and...
12-03-2010 11:47 -
Fewer women than men are confident that their pension will give them financial security, according to new research.
This may see a gender bias with future equity release claims, as women seek to achieve the quality of retirement they believe they deserve in old age.
The research,...
10-03-2010 10:51 -
An All Parliamentary Group has outlined trust as one of the main challenges facing the equity release industry, which the MPs believe has the potential to be a key retirement funding source.
The group underlined the importance of maintaining high standards of equity release advice and...
09-03-2010 14:48 -
Paying off a mortgage before the age of 55 leaves plenty of capital available to take advantage of in retirement, it has been claimed.
It is important to pay off a mortgage before reaching retirement, according to head of consulting at Ducalian Timothy Lambert, when many people have other...
08-03-2010 16:15 -
One in three people are not confident their pension will give them enough money in retirement, research shows, which may see more consumers supplementing their income with equity release.
One in four pensioners still believe that a pension is the best way to save for retirement, according...
05-03-2010 17:33 -
The firm is set to change its approach to a whole range of retirement products, head of the insurer's UK life arm Toby Strauss told IFA Online.
He explained: "There will be greater focus on variable annuities, equity release and de-risking defined benefit...
04-03-2010 17:12 -
Pensioners interested in equity release have a total of £765.18 billion tied up in property collectively, new figures show.
Nearly a third of pensioner property wealth is concentrated in the south-east and London, according to Key Retirement Solutions.
Commenting on the...
03-03-2010 18:23 -
Individuals not far from retirement may wish to consider equity release in the face of declining annuity rates.
According to annuity-rates.org, there was been a fall of 28 per cent in the last decade in spite of the recent improvements at the beginning of this year.
The website...
02-03-2010 17:21 -
Continuing credit restraints have left the housing market facing an uncertain future, it has been claimed, which could impact equity release plans.
The latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) European Housing Review indicates that the UK was one of the only five countries...
01-03-2010 17:16 -
Owners of flats and maisonettes are likely to have had the biggest boost to their equity release plans following the latest upturn in market prices, new data suggests.
The average price of flats and maisonettes increased by 8.5 per cent in the 12 months to January 2010, according to the...