Lifetime Isa deposits hit £1bn for the first time in 2020

The amount of money saved into Lifetime Isas more than doubled last year as deposits into tax-free accounts aimed at first-time buyers topped £1billion for the first time. In a sign the Lifetime Isa is becoming increasingly popular, the number of accounts which received deposits in 2019-20 also more than doubled to 545,000, according to … Read more

Mortgages with 5% deposits are back – but watch out for stricter rules and higher rates

Aspiring homeowners are being offered a potential leg-up as mortgage deals for those hoping to buy with a five per cent deposit re-emerge. Several mortgage lenders including Bank of Ireland, Coventry Building Society and Accord, part of Yorkshire Building Society, are now offering 95 per cent loan-to-value deals. In addition, several other major lenders are … Read more

Gold miners strike it rich as they unearth new deposits near historic Welsh pit

Gold miners in Wales have struck it rich as they unearthed new deposits near a historic pit that supplied Royal wedding rings for decades.    Bosses say the dig for gold was ‘more successful than we could reasonably have anticipated’ as they searched around the former Clogau mine in the Welsh hills. The North Wales mine … Read more

Will 2021 end the first-time buyer squeeze that sent deposits to £57k?

The lockdown property market mini-boom that sent house prices climbing spelt bad news for first-time buyers last year.  Against a backdrop of rising property prices and a mortgage crunch as banks and building societies reined in lending, the size of the average first-time buyer deposit by nearly £11,000 last year to more than £57,000 – … Read more

Parents feel squeeze as first-time buyer deposits rocket up to 25% to almost £60k 

Bank of Glum and Dad: Parents feel squeeze as first-time buyer deposits rocket up to 25% to almost £60k House prices reached record highs in November, with the average deposit for first-time buyers leaping to nearly £60,000 Previous research showed more than half of first-time buyers under 35 relied on money from their parents Soaring … Read more

The cities where first-time buyers save deposits fastest – and two where it takes 25 YEARS

First-time buyers in Vaduz, Bern and Copenhagen can save up for a home the quickest, according to a new report – while those in Zagreb and Monaco could have to wait a whopping 25 years. The research by housebuilder Barratt Homes, which used statistics from the Numbeo global index, looked at how fast people could … Read more

Business deposits at the Post Office fall 27.4% in December

The amount of money withdrawn over the Post Office counter last month was the highest it had been in all of 2020, but cash usage continues to lag pre-coronavirus levels. Around £641million was withdrawn by individuals in December, the most since £634million was withdrawn in March, while personal and business withdrawals totalled £664million, data from … Read more

Home buyers to stump up 40 per cent deposits as TSB and Barclays stop handing out mortgages

Now home buyers need to stump up 40 per cent deposits to get a mortgage as economic devastation from coronavirus threatens a new credit crunch TSB has withdrawn two-year mortgage deals with less than 40 per cent deposits Barclays has ended mortgages for borrowers with less than a 25 per cent deposit A Bank of … Read more

Post Office deposits top £2bn last month for the first time in 2020

The amount of money deposited at Post Office branches topped £2billion last month for the first time this year as cash usage continued to recover after the coronavirus lockdown. The 7.7 per cent annual rise in the total amount deposited and a more than 10 per cent jump in the number of trips to pay … Read more

Elon Musk reveals Tesla purchased the rights to lithium deposits in 10,000 acres in Nevada

During Tesla Battery Day on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk revealed his company had entered into the mining business by buying the rights to lithium clay deposits in 10,000 acres in the Nevada desert.  At the same event, Drew Baglino, Tesla’s senior vice president of engineering, shared that the carmaker will be building its own cathode … Read more