On 21 February we’re changing the £150,000 minimum equity requirement where a mortgage includes an interest only sale of the property loan part.  Currently the £150,000 buffer is based on the equity at application. For part interest only sale of property with part capital and interest, the £150,000 will be calculated on the equity at [...]

We may be just a few weeks into the New Year but you can bet a fair few people have long since given up on their New Year’s resolutions by now. If you’ve already caved on your mission to give up sweets and you’ve failed in your plan to hit the gym five days a [...]

Jo Breeden, Managing Director, Crystal Specialist Finance Crystal Specialist Finance has reached a major milestone having issued terms on over £1bn worth of business in 2015, marking a massive 62% increase on 2014’s previous record year. From October to December the company issued terms of £316.2m – a full 55% up on the [...]

Income protection for musculoskeletal conditions  The most recent UK official statistics* show that more working days – almost 31 million - were lost to musculoskeletal conditions, including back pain, than any other cause in 2013. For some people in constant pain, a return to work can prove impossible. It is then that financial pressures can [...]

When you need to get an application on risk as quickly as possible, it’s frustrating when you have to keep explaining yourself over and over again to several different people. That’s why we give you two direct points of contact – your own case manager and underwriter who’ll look after all your cases from start [...]

The UK government has proposed that from 1 April 2016 there will be some significant changes to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) for all purchases of additional residential properties (e.g. second home or buy to let). The final announcement on these changes is not expected until the Chancellor’s budget on 16 March, however, from now [...]

Our Early Warning System (EWS) is a free, secure, online subscription system that provides real-time information 24 hours day, seven days a week. The system provides notification of policies that are in danger of lapsing, which may in turn result in commission being clawed back. The EWS can assist you with preventing the potential loss [...]

Where would we be without the internet?  We can do pretty much everything from browsing for a new outfit to ordering dinner, discovering the wildlife in a virtual jungle to finding a partner.  If we can’t find out what we want to know online, it’s probably not worth knowing.  We’re so reliant on the internet [...]

Get your clients to understand the risks One of the biggest objections against IP is 'it won't happen to me'. Yet, a couple, both aged 30 have a 64% chance of one of them being unable to work for two months or more before they retire*. The LV= Risk Reality Calculator can help you personalise the risk for [...]