
The changes to lending that could be a leg-up for home buyers
These changes include greater flexibility on interest rate stress tests, considering past rent payments as proof of affordability, and altering loan-to-income ratio rules for lenders.
The move comes as high house prices, tough existing mortgage rules, and recent stamp duty changes have made home ownership increasingly difficult for many.
While some lenders, such as Santander and Nationwide, are already relaxing their lending criteria, mortgage brokers caution that responsible lending and borrowing are crucial to prevent future financial hardship.
The FCA aims to balance increased accessibility with market stability, ensuring sustainable home ownership without repeating past financial crises.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Selling former Hambleton District Council offices is a 'win'
The sale of former council offices to a care home operator is a "win, win, win" situation, a senior councillor has Yorkshire Council's executive committee has agreed to dispose of the civic centre at Stone Cross in Northallerton, the former headquarters of Hambleton District building would be sold for an undisclosed fee which was described as "significant" by council authority decided the offices were not needed following the abolition of Hambleton District Council and the launch of the unitary North Yorkshire Council in 2023. Customer service facilities have also been transferred from the building to the Treadmills site in the town voted unanimously to progress the sale of the building to an unnamed care home operator at a meeting on Tuesday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).The authority's deputy leader Gareth Dadd said the sale was the "first major capital" disposal by the unitary authority."It is providing not just a strong capital receipt but, once we take into account the new costs from the new location of the customer service centre, we're looking at net £150,000 to £200,000 I would suggest, in revenue savings through us moving out of that particular building," he said."It's also provided a better customer service experience, as well as underpinning the new Treadmills site with increased footfall."Dadd said all-in-all it was a "win, win, win" and said the council "should not be hesitant in approving the disposal of that particular asset". Mark Crane, executive member for open to business, also spoke in favour of the sale."As a unitary authority, it's clearly wrong that we've got two large offices in the same town," he said."This is a good news story whichever way you look at it."The back-office services which previously operated from Stone Cross have been mainly relocated to County Hall in Northallerton, officials building was put up for sale earlier this year with the negotiations led by the council's property consultancy, Align Property sale will not affect the adjacent leisure centre or the former caretaker's property which are located next to the disused building. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North


The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Europe gives Iran deadline to contain nuclear programme or see sanctions reinstated
The EU will start the process of reinstating UN sanctions on Iran from 29 August if Tehran has made no progress by then on containing its nuclear programme, the bloc has announced. Speaking at a meeting of his EU counterparts, the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said: 'France and its partners are … justified in reapplying global embargos on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago. Without a firm, tangible and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.' Europeans have been largely elbowed aside from the Iranian nuclear issue by Donald Trump, who ordered the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites last month, and this intervention can be seen as an attempt to reassert Europe's influence. The end of August deadline starts a process that could see an armoury of sanctions reimposed by 15 October, giving European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal – the UK, France and Germany – a continuing lever in negotiations with Iran. The European powers want to see the return of the UN nuclear inspectorate to Iran in part to prevent Iran trying to reconfigure its nuclear programme after the damage inflicted by the US strikes in June. The way in which the 2015 nuclear deal was negotiated does not allow the other signatories, China or Russia, to veto the sanctions snapback, but the European states can defer the imposition of snapback beyond October to allow time for further consultation. The US, after leaving the nuclear deal in 2018, also cannot veto the UK or French move. The sanctions snapback would be triggered under chapter V11 of the UN charter, making the reinstatement of six UN resolutions mandatory, including one that requires Iran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and reprocessing, including at the research and development level. Another reimposed resolution would require all UN member states to prevent the transfer of any items, materials or technologies that could serve these activities or Iran's missile programme. Iranian sanctions experts claim the reinstated resolutions would not automatically halt all Iranian oil exports, cut off Iran's access to international financial systems, or cut off general trade communications. But all countries and international financial institutions would have to refrain from providing financial assistance, new commitments, or preferential loans to the Iranian government, except for humanitarian and development purposes. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, has said recently the activation of snapback 'will mean the end of Europe's role in the Iranian nuclear issue and may be the darkest point in the history of Iran's relations with the three European countries; a point that may never be repaired.' He said: 'It would mark the end of Europe's role as a mediator between Iran and the US.' He told diplomats at the weekend 'One of the big mistakes of the Europeans is that they think that the 'snapback' tool in their hands gives them the power to act on the Iranian nuclear issue; while this is a completely wrong perception. If these countries move towards snapback, they will make the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue even more complicated and difficult.'


The Independent
41 minutes ago
- The Independent
Watchdogs insist reducing regulation will not increase risk of financial crisis
Financial watchdogs have insisted that the risk of a financial crisis will not increase as a result of measures announced by the Chancellor to cut regulation in a bid to deliver growth. Under questioning by the Commons Business and Trade Committee, a senior civil servant also confirmed the target to cut red tape by 25% will be measured in terms of costs to firms of current requirements, with a baseline set to be confirmed in 18 months. Rachel Reeves has unveiled a package of reforms to the UK's financial system aimed at boosting the economy and spurring on retail investing. The changes include reforming the bank ring-fencing regime and reducing burdensome regulation in the City in order to reintroduce 'informed risk-taking' into the financial system, the Government said. The Chancellor said the 'Leeds reforms', unveiled in the West Yorkshire city, 'represent the widest set of reforms to financial services for more than a decade'. Liam Byrne, Labour chairman of the Business and Trade Committee and a former chief secretary to the Treasury, said evidence suggests liberalisation of regulation is 'often accompanied by lending booms that end badly'. He asked senior officials tasked with implementing the changes whether the announcements made by the Chancellor would increase the risk of a financial turmoil. David Bailey, executive director at the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said the organisation had 'built overall resilience in the system' since the financial crash in 2008. He added: 'The risk of a financial crisis, from the PRA's perspective in banking insurance, has not gone up because we have maintained the same level of reliance.' Sarah Pritchard, deputy chief executive at the Financial Conduct Authority, said there should be a public debate about 'where should the risk appetite be set' if, for example, greater access to mortgages leads to an increase in repossessions in the event of an economic downturn. When pressed on how measures announced today are different to previous 'liberalisation' implemented before previous financial crises, she added: 'There is nothing in today's set of announcements that causes me any different concern to that that David has set out.' When questioned on whether the measures will lead to a rise in asset prices if lending increases, Ms Pritchard added: 'There are a range of different factors at play. 'I think regulation is one aspect, but the general environment in which we all operate, in particular the UK being a global connected system, there is no one point that I would refer to in terms of that package today that is saying that will cause any different market risk or volatility.' Mr Byrne later pressed Chris Carr, director at the Department of Business and Trade, on how the target to reduce the administrative burden of regulation by 25% will be set. He confirmed the target is to reduce the burden to the planned level over the course of this Parliament and said the cost in pounds to businesses caused by red tape will be the measure. Mr Carr added: 'We have to agree and publish a baseline of the administrative burden and then strive to reduce it by 25%.' When asked how long it is expected to take for the baseline to be set, competition and markets minister Justin Madders said: 'We think it is going to take about 18 months, which is akin to the timescale it took under the last Labour government's similar exercise.'