Ulster Bank today launches a major new campaign to further support mortgage lending in Northern Ireland, having already almost doubled its share of the local market Ulster Bank has lent over £1.5billion into the Northern Ireland mortgage market since the property price peak. In 2012, the bank ended the year accounting for almost one in five mortgages in Northern Ireland compared...

House purchase lending recorded its highest January total since 2008, according to new data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Despite a seasonal monthly fall, lending increased by 11% compared to January last year. First-time buyer and home mover activity rose compared to January last year, while re-mortgage lending was still 23% lower than at the start of 2012. A total...

Sales activity continued to increase last month and price falls continued to ease, according to the latest RICS and Ulster Bank Northern Ireland Housing Market Survey. A net balance of minus 13% of surveyors said that prices fell in the three months to the end of February (28% saying prices were lower, 56% saying they remained the same, and 16% saying...

First Trust Bank has a mortgage fund of £250m, it was announced recently. This fund sees the launch of a competitive range of new mortgage products targeting first time buyers, switchers and home improvers.  As part of the bank’s strategy to make mortgages more accessible to customers, there will be a team of mortgage consultants  throughout its network, available to manage...

A QUARTER of SME building firms have missed out on contracts because they can’t secure vital funding, with many claiming banks and building societies are “actively discriminating” against construction companies, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned. The latest figures show the Government’s Funding for Lending scheme is failing to support construction, as lending fell significantly in the last three...

Lending to first-time buyers increased in the final quarter of the year in Northern Ireland, contributing to the largest number of loans to first-time buyers in a single year since 2007, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders in Northern Ireland. A total of 5,100 first-time buyers entered the market in 2012, up from 4,700 in 2011...

House-hunters looking for the best interest rates will have to stump up a deposit which is 25% of the property's value, according to Moneyfacts. The latest findings have revealed there were 831 mortgages on the UK market at this level.  And this means those with a deposit of 10% have a limited choice of home loan which is bad news for...

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that total gross mortgage lending declined to £10.4bn in January. This is 9% lower than December's gross lending figure of £11.4bn and a 3% fall from £10.7bn in January 2012 CML market and data analyst Caroline Purdey says: "Housing sentiment remains positive, despite ongoing economic pressures. "A worsening in the outlook for inflation presents a...

Co-Ownership Housing's £50m financing deal secured with Bank of Ireland and Barclays represents the largest single funding arrangement for a housing association in Northern Ireland to date. The deal is aimed at supporting at least 2,500 affordable homes in the next 4 years through Co-Ownership, Northern Ireland's low cost home ownership scheme. Alan Crowe, Co-Ownership Housing's Chief Executive, sets the scene: "In 2009...

You probably don’t want to think about it but 1000’s of Northern Ireland homeowners could be incorrectly estimating the cost of re-building their home in the event of a fire or serious structural failure. The Fire Brigade attends almost 3,500 major fires a year in Northern Ireland, a proportion of which require the house to be completely rebuilt. Market Value vs...