All UK markets are affected by the 2016 Referendum vote to leave the EU (‘Brexit’). This article looks at the early impact on the mortgage market using Mortgage Achilles data.

Fixed-rate mortgages have dominated consumer choice for some time now. Tony Wornell looks at findings by BVA BDRC on the popularity behind fixed-rate deals.

Mortgage intermediaries have never had it so good, as consumers seek out better deals and independent advice. Tony Wornell discusses how brokers have gone from strength to strength.

Q&A session: from The Pensions Opportunity webinar. In anticipation of the introduction of the new rules, Tony Wornell and Abi Weaver shared insight from recent interviews with soon-to-be retirees.

There has been a stream of media stories over recent months about lenders rejecting new mortgage applications from existing borrowers in their 40s or 50s who want to remortgage or move home. As objective researchers, it is not our place to add heat to this ‘ding-dong', but our latest Mortgage Achilles study can shed some light.

The introduction of the new MMR rules has caused widespread disruption for mortgage intermediaries and mortgage lenders.

Any change to business as usual was always likely to cause some disruption.

Behavioural economics has moved centre stage since the financial meltdown of 2007/8. It is the study of human judgement and decision-taking and how that influences behaviour.

Many markets are driven by social influence – the way we feel, think and act is strongly influenced by what other people say and do.

From late April, virtually all interactive mortgage sales (involving a face-to-face or phone conversation with a borrower) will have to be on an advised basis.

1.1 million interest-only mortgages appeared to be ticking time bombs according to Mortgage Achilles

A study from BVA BDRC has found that the typical mortgage broker placed 17% more cases this year than the previous 12 months. The average number of cases this year grew to 74, an increase of 11 on last year’s figure.

Since 2009, BVA BDRC has taken an annual look at mortgage intermediaries’ impressions of different lenders’ business development manager (BDM) forces.

Quick and efficient processing is the biggest demand brokers have of lenders.

Back in 2007/8, the case load of the average mortgage intermediary included 30 to 35 remortgages per year, their largest single slice of business.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has ruled that from April 2014 virtually all interactive mortgage sales will have to be advised.

The FCA’s research reveals that the vast majority of interest-only borrowers understand the product they have, know they have to repay the principal at the end of the loan and say they have a plan for doing so.