Protection Gap Remains Material
Shepherds Friendly found that 81% of people who rent or have a mortgage do not hold income protection cover. The survey also found that 44% of those without cover had children under 17, while 28% were single. These findings reinforce the scale of the protection conversation alongside mortgage borrowing, particularly where household income is concentrated […]
Buy-to-Let Yields Hit 15-Year High
Paragon Bank reported average gross buy-to-let yields of 7.22% in the third quarter of 2026, the highest level since the first quarter of 2011. Stronger headline yields may renew landlord interest, but they should not be treated as a complete measure of investment viability amid financing costs, tax, maintenance, regulation and void-period risk. Ownership structure […]
High-LTI Lending Raises Stakes
High loan-to-income lending accounted for nearly half of mortgage advances, according to FCA and Bank of England data cited by Mortgage Solutions, rising from 41.4% in the second quarter of 2025. At the same time, reports point to higher mortgage-rate expectations weighing on buyer demand, while a typical five-year fixed rate was reported to have […]
AI Demand Needs Human Advice
Lloyds research indicates that Londoners are among the UK’s most frequent users of AI for personal-finance help, yet they report the lowest confidence in using digital financial tools. This creates a useful signal for mortgage and protection advisers: consumers may use AI for initial research, but still need reassurance, explanation and accountable recommendations when decisions […]
AI Mortgage Workflows Accelerate
SPF Private Clients has signed a multi-year agreement with LendWell to introduce AI across its mortgage and protection operations. The platform is expected to support document preparation, follow-ups and case coordination through to submission, showing how established advisory businesses are moving AI from experimentation into core operational workflows. Connect has also partnered with Curvestone AI, […]