Insurance News Archive
- 28 Feb 2007
Britons 'taking Control' Of First Home Purchase
Research carried out by Abbey shows that just one in ten first-time buyers are receiving financial assistance from their parents, compared to 23 per cent six months ago. - 28 Feb 2007
Interest Rates "take Toll" On Housing Market
The group's figures show that house prices rose by 0.7 per cent in February 2007, meaning that the annual house price growth increased to 10.2 per cent from 9.3 per cent in January 2007. - 27 Feb 2007
Inheritance Tax An 'increasing Burden'
According to John Whiting, the chairman of tax policy at the group, the experience of more Britons paying inheritance tax is being obscured by the fact that bereaved spouses do not pay inheritance tax. - 26 Feb 2007
More Homeowners Feel Inheritance Tax 'squeeze'
During the course of 2006, a quarter of sales in 423 postcode districts across England and Wales experienced the tax. - 23 Feb 2007
Driveways 'exacerbate' Subsidence Threat
The call follows research carried out by home insurer esure which shows that over 100,000 London homeowners could face an increased risk of subsidence due to conversions. - 22 Feb 2007
Hips Contain "unknowns"
The CML has consequently urged for the roll out of Hips to be postponed until full evidence from research and area trials is available. - 21 Feb 2007
Hips Roll Out 'imminent'
The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) is reminding consumers that after June 1st those people wanting to sell their property will have to acquire a pack before putting it on the market. - 19 Feb 2007
Early Hip Roll Out Lauded
The director general of Ahipp Mike Ockenden's comments follow the early roll out of the packs in Cambridge last week, one of a number of areas in which teething problems can be assessed before their nationwide introduction in June. - 19 Feb 2007
Interest Rate Hikes 'cooling Off' Housing Market
Residential property website Rightmove's latest monthly monitor reveals that the annual growth rate of the market decreased from 13.5 per cent to 11.5 per cent between January and February 2007. - 16 Feb 2007
Property Market Posers As Rate Rises Catch The Eye
For the average mortgage holder, one of the most important manifestations of a rising interest rate is the potential for affordability problems, with homeowners worries varying according to the specific type of mortgage in possession. Those people in possession of a variable rate mortgage, for instance, would most likely see an increase in their monthly repayments as mortgage lenders filter through an interest rate hike to their rates, with tracker mortgages similarly at risk. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) recently claimed that an average variable-rate loan of £250,000 would see monthly repayments increase by over £38 – a considerable monthly hike in light of growing utilities bills and increases in council tax. In the context of a growing debt problem in the UK, with a cumulative deficit of up to £1.3 trillion, the potential for rate rises to have far-reaching and potentially catastrophic effects has been well-documented. - 15 Feb 2007
Business Interruption Policy 'vital' For Small Businesses
Douglas Barnett, head of customer risk management at insurer AXA, explained how such a package could cover a small business if an unexpected event such as a fire or a break-in occurred. - 15 Feb 2007
Homebuilding Increases Necessary
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (Rics') comments follow the release of housebuilding figures for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) showing a slower rate of housebuilding after four years of increases.
