The Natwest Bank has announced a reduction to its tracker and fixed rate mortgage rates with cuts of up to 0.3 percent.
Most of the Natwest Bank mortgages have seen rate reductions of 0.1 percent, though a small number have had the full 0.3 percent taken off them, something anyone looking for a mortgage will appreciate. The bank has also introduced a three year tracker that steps down on its rate each year.
A spokesman discussing the rate cuts stated that the Natwest Bank was committed to doing what it could for borrowers in what are difficult times. They are pleased to be able to help both first time buyers and those moving on, feeling that both parts of the housing market need to be helped in order for growth to be seen.
The Nationwide Building Society housing data for April reveals that house prices fell by just over one percent during April, taking them to a lower price point than the same time last year.
This latest house price fall takes the market to a position where, for the first time in ten years, there has been a year on year decrease. A Nationwide Building Society spokesman thought that the falling price of property showed how lack of affordability and more difficult access to mortgages was really pressing the market.
They also went on to say that, with the market falling as it has been doing it may prompt further base rate cuts by the Bank of England. The Nationwide Building Society figures show a steep fall in property transactions over the last six months or so and this latest data suggests something really needs to be done to stimulate activity once more.
The Halifax is to close over 50 of its estate agent branches across the country with the loss of around a hundred jobs.
The move by the Halifax comes on the back of what they have described as a significant decline in house sale numbers over the last 12 months. The heart of the Halifax estate agency business is in the North and Midlands, and it is here that they will focus most of their efforts moving forwards.
Around 550 people will find their estate agency branches closing but the Halifax will be able to relocate most of these people, with a hundred that will hopefully be taken up primarily through voluntary redundancies and natural staff turnover.
