Loan service launched to help consumers avoid loans sharks

A new loans service has been launched in the UK to help consumers get the finance that they need to manage financially without having to turn to loan sharks, according to recent reports. There have been many concerns expressed about consumers that cannot get traditional credit, as many turn to unscrupulous and unregulated loans sharks out of desperation.

The new loans service in the West Midlands has been launched by the National Housing Federation, and it is hoped that it will help consumers that cannot get traditional finance to avoid going through a loan shark. Consumers will be able to borrow up to £500 as part of the service, and this will be subject to a 45 minute interview to ensure that the borrower will be able to repay the loan.

Repayments on the amount borrowed will be paid weekly, and in addition to being able to get a modest loan consumers will also be able to benefit from debt advice. The scheme is being called My Home Finance, and it will offer a range of services including helping consumers to open bank accounts and offering advice on their debt and financial problems.

One concern that some have about the new service is that the interest charged is higher than the maximum level that credit unions are allowed to charge, which is 26.8 percent APR. The new scheme charges interest of 29.9 percent APR during the pilot, and this will then increase to 49.9 percent APR.

An official from the National Housing Federation said: “By offering fair loans at fair prices, we hope to offer an alternative to both loan sharks, who cynically prey on hard up families, and doorstep lenders, who are all too willing to lend cash to the desperate at hugely inflated rates of interest.”

Tags: debt, Title loan, finance, loan, traditional credit, personal finance, new scheme charges, National Housing Federation

Cutbacks in mortgage benefits could pose risk to vulnerable homeowners

Industry groups and campaigners are expressing concern over the effect that mortgage benefit cutbacks by the government may have on vulnerable homeowners. There are concerns that some homeowners that are in a vulnerable position, such as disabled homeowners, could be at heightened risk of repossession because of the cutbacks put into place by the coalition government.

In its recent emergency budget the coalition government revealed the details of a range of cutbacks designed to cut public spending and bring the public deficit under control. This included a range of cutbacks to benefits and to various programmes that had been put into place such as mortgage schemes.

The National Housing Federation has launched a scathing attack, stating that there are now around 64,000 homeowners with disabilities that receive assistance through the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme, known as the SMI. However, many will experience difficulties if this assistance is reduced or cut.

According to reports the SMI is to be recalculated for thousands of people with disabilities, and officials believe that around five thousand people with serious mental and physical disabilities could end up financially worse off under the system, and could face difficulties in making repayments, which could mean an increased risk of repossession.

An official from the National Housing Federation said: “This policy will hit thousands of people with disabilities, cutting off many from the prospect of owning their own home. The fact that ministers have not carried out a comprehensive impact assessment into such a major decision is very disquieting.”

The Sheffield Centre for Independent Living added: “There’s an inconsistent response from different local authorities because there are no national guidelines on how payments are made. Now we have to help a lot of people who are finding it harder to get these grants as councils review spending.”

Tags: cutbacks, National Housing Federation, homeowners, Independent living, mortgage, councils review spending, emergency, Government spending

House prices to rocket by 40 per cent, new report claims

A sobering new report suggests that house prices will rise at a rate of 40 per cent in five years.

According to a report entitled Home Truths, published today by the National Housing Federation (NHF), average house prices could soon top £300,000, dashing the hopes of millions of potential first-time buyers.

The current UK house price inflation rate stands at 9.9 per cent for 2007, according to latest results from Nationwide.

Home Truths, which used research conducted by Oxford Economics, provided a searing assessment of the current housing situation in the UK as “distorted” and “dysfunctional”: citing statistics showing that the average house price represented nearly 11 times average salaries.

The report suggested that the situation will worsen the most in London, with prices distorted by soaring city bonuses and an influx of the international super-rich: a full £150,000 price rise in the average home was predicted, taking the average figure to £392,900.

The (NHF) is an umbrella body, representing 1,300 housing associations in the UK.

Tags: cent, Nationwide.Home Truths, new report, city, influx, umbrella body, National Housing Federation, home