Mortgages

House prices recorded an annual increase this month for the first time in more than a year, with some areas of the UK showing strong signs of recovery, according to Nationwide.

Mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to their lowest level in seven months in February, industry figures showed today.

Help for those struggling to afford a mortgage will be available over the coming months, Chancellor George Osborne announced today.

Private rents in England and Wales fell slightly for the fourth month in a row in February, as a more vibrant sales market eased some of the strain on housing, a lettings network says.

Tenants facing soaring rents are resorting to drastic measures such as using payday loans and dipping into their children's savings just to hang on to their homes, a charity warned today.

UK house sales reached their highest level in more than two and-a-half years last month as confidence continued to return to the market, surveyors said today.

First Direct has widened the availability of its highly-rated current account to include those on lower incomes.

A leading MP has urged the regulator to investigate whether Bank of Ireland is guilty of mis-selling after it announced plans to hike 13,500 customers' base rate tracker mortgages, even though the base rate hasn't moved for four years.

House prices saw their biggest year-on-year growth in more than two years during February, Halifax reported today.