Cheap Finance

Homeowners looking to remortgage their property may be well advised to stick with their current mortgage provider, it has been suggested.Remortgaging replaces the existing mortgage with a new loan from a different lender, who pays off the original mortgage.According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), it can often be possible to get an attractive… Read more

Consumers are making a mistake if they rush to pay off their mortgages early, it has been claimed.Investment website EveryInvestor claims that by doing so they are missing out on the opportunity to make a profit.A spokesman explained that it makes sense to pay off high-interest short term loans such as credit cards as quickly… Read more

First Direct, the online and telephone bank owned by HSBC, has announced the release of two new fixed-rate offset mortgages.Both products were made available from Monday 3rd September at a two-year fixed-rate of 6.9 per cent APR.After the initial period expires, the mortgages revert to "a competitive" seven per cent APR, the bank revealed.Spokesman Chris… Read more

The Thai government has relented and lifted a ban on Google-owned video sharing website YouTube.Internet users in Thailand can once again access the site, which allows people to upload their own video content or access that left by others.The ban was originally imposed five months ago when a number of videos were left on the… Read more

Smaller property companies who want to remain competitive should explore targeted e-marketing campaigns, according to Landgate.The online estate agent stated that smaller businesses must not only have a decent website, but must also actively promote themselves on the web.Landgate director Peter Davis said that e-marketing campaigns have been shown to be the best strategy for… Read more

The affordability pressures on first-time buyers, though high, may be reaching a crescendo, according to the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors (Rics).The past year has seen a rash of interest hikes by the Bank of England to try to fight the rampant inflation, which has made it difficult for those trying to pay off a… Read more

First-time buyers are finding it harder than ever before to access the housing market, it has been suggested.According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), some are having to save the equivalent of a whole year”s pay before they can make a purchase.The problem is especially pronounced in the south, with buyers having to… Read more

Thousands of households are in for an interest rate shock in the coming months, it has been claimed.According to Nationwide, more than 250,000 mortgage borrowers are going to feel the effects of increased interest rates.That is because they took out fixed-rate mortgages two years ago and are now coming to the end of their fixed-rate… Read more

People on high incomes should take advantage of that fact by taking out an offset mortgage, it has been suggested.The advice was given by Essential Money, an independent financial advisor that specialises in advising doctors and dentists.Thomas Dickson, a spokesperson for Essential Money, said: "We do recommend offset mortgages and having a separate savings account."The… Read more

Banning employees from using social networking sites at work is not the best way of dealing with the issue, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has advised.Sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace enjoy widespread popularity and some employers fear that they take up too much of their workforce”s time.However, a blanket ban is not the… Read more