In recent times, there’s been much talk around the financial challenges facing the UK population. However, it’s important to remember that financial circumstances can also improve. Additional, and often unexpected, funds can come in differing forms such as inheritance, insurance payout(s) or even winning the lottery. With inheritance being the most likely scenario, and paying off a mortgage high on the financial planning agenda of many homeowners, this often leads to the question - should I use this inheritance to pay off my mortgage? The answer to this important question is one of the key tal ..read more

The buy-to-let market has undergone some major challenges and changes in recent years, all of which have impacted landlords and property investors to varying degrees. Rental yield has long been a vital component within landlord calculations but another increasingly important consideration in recent times has been whether to set up a limited company. To incorporate or not to incorporate is one of the key talking points in the latest episode of Barclays award-winning Mortgage Insider Podcast. This discussion on the nuances of the current buy-to-let market sees host and property expert Phil Spenc ..read more

For almost 10 years, the Help to Buy scheme proved incredibly successful in helping over a quarter of a million borrowers across the UK to buy a home. But, with this scheme now having ended in England and Scotland, this leads to the question of what – if anything – can replace it. In the latest episode of Barclays Mortgage Insider podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Mobeen Akram, New Homes Director at the Mortgage Advice Bureau and Mitch Atkins, director at Michael Usher Mortgage Services as they delve into the history of Help to Buy, why it worked, why it ended, alternative buying schemes ..read more

The mortgage market is currently experiencing growing demand for long-term mortgages – otherwise known as marathon mortgages - with some lenders even offering up to 40-year terms to help attract more young buyers onto the property ladder. So, will marathon mortgages be THE 2024 trend for first-time buyers? Or, with mortgage rates falling, is it simply a passing phase? To answer these questions and more, James Tucker, CEO at Twenty7Tec and Lewis Shaw, owner of Shaw Financial Services join host and property expert Phil Spencer in the latest instalment of Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast - now b ..read more

The past few years have seen the relentless rise of the Bank of England base rate dominate lending and borrowing decisions across the mortgage market. This significant uplift has led to an even more complicated picture around affordability, stress testing, the influence of mortgage swap rates and generated a flurry of future interest rate forecasts amid some lingering economic uncertainty. To add some clarity to these shifting market dynamics, the latest episode of Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast sees host and property expert Phil Spencer joined by Charles Roe, director of mortgages at UK Fi ..read more

The UK's housing market remains in a state of flux. Interest rates are at their highest level for 15 years, house prices are faltering, and the UK economy is still feeling the lingering aftermath of last year’s mini-budget. On a more positive note, following a period of swap rate turbulence, mortgage rates are slowly but steadily coming down, inflation is falling and we continue to see a very different regional picture, especially in and around the London housing market. This all leads to ongoing uncertainty. So, to help lift the lid on the UK housing melting pot, the latest instalment of Barc ..read more

The UK economy continues to dominate conversations across the country in the wake of the transition to a higher interest rate environment, rising cost of living pressures, an increased focus on unemployment figures and shifts in the labour market. In a bid to unpick the current economic position and help us understand what it all means for the intermediary mortgage market, the latest season of Barclays award-winning Mortgage Insider Podcast kicks off with host and property expert Phil Spencer being joined by regular guest and Chief Investment Officer, Barclays Private Bank & Weal ..read more

Despite the need for financial advice growing exponentially in an increasingly complex economic landscape, many perceived barriers remain for all too many people across the UK. The final episode in Season 4 of Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast evaluates where these barriers appear, the progress being made by the mortgage industry to overcome them and what more brokers can be doing to make the advice they offer more inclusive, more accessible and easier to understand. Host and property expert Phil Spencer is joined by Jodi Spreadbury, Senior Mortgage & Protection Adviser at The Mortgage Bro ..read more

Following on from episodes which have focused on why buying a house is so complicated and the changing role of the mortgage broker, the latest instalment in the award-winning Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast dusts off its crystal ball to predict the homebuying and selling journey of the future, what’s going on behind the scenes to make this happen and the future role of the mortgage broker. Host and property expert Phil Spencer is joined by Maria Harris, Chair of the Home Buying & Selling Technology Group and John Reynolds, Chief Operating Officer and founder of Coadjute as they offer the ..read more

Following his appearances on Series 1, 2 and 3 of Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, William Hobbs, Chief Investment Officer at Barclays Wealth & Investments, is back by popular demand to help make sense of current economic conditions in his own inimitable style. Will joins regular host and property expert Phil Spencer to carefully plot his way through what remains a mixed economic picture. Within the podcast, he outlines the ramifications of recent economic shocks, the role played by the media, interest rates projections, inflationary challenges and how technology can help regenerate the ..read more