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  This is Money | Mortgages & homes

Home wreckers - the developers abusing brownfield sites
Brownfield sites are often nothing of the kind -and reckless rebuilding is killing off many neighbourhoods.





Third of new homes built on gardens
An explosion of 'garden grabbing' in London is revealed with a third of new homes are being built on land that used to be someone's garden

Third of all new homes being built on gardens
An explosion of 'garden grabbing' in London is revealed with a third of new homes are being built on land that used to be someone's garden































Mortgage costs rise despite rate freeze
Mortgage costs will continue to climb today even though the Bank of England held interest rates steady at 5% yesterday

How to get more for your endowment
With endowments still failing to deliver many homeowners may be considering surrendering policies in - but selling could get them more





Property turmoil sees rents hit £1,000
Buy-to-let landlords taking a battering from the mortgage storm have received a ray of sunshine with the news that average rents have passed the £1,000 mark

Man who got £1m of the price of his house
The effects of the credit crunch on the property market are providing opportunities for some buyers who are snapping up London homes for up to £1m less than the asking price.





£1m homes are biggest bargains
The biggest casualties of the slump in the housing market are sellers of £1m homes, estate agents said yesterday

Why you need a 5% deposit
There are decent mortgage deals for first-time buyers, but to qualify you must have at least a 5% deposit





Gloomy spring for agents as prime London prices dip
Two London estate agents specialising in expensive property today gave a gloomy assessment of prices in the capital's most desirable areas

New repossession crisis looms
A sharp increase in the number of repossession orders is expected to be highlighted this week



































Advice for Inside Track victims
Calls to have property clubs regulated were ignored. So what can members of the failed Inside Track do now?

Mortgages 'to rise by £230 a month'
Homeowners face mortgage rises of up to £230 a month as lenders ratchet up the price of credit, the Bank of England has warned





Fraud emerges as property prices fall
Analysis:Homeowners trying to sell properties in a falling market now have another problem to contend with, according to a City solicitor

Bank cuts through the mortgage gloom
One of the Big Five banks is cutting interest rates on some new home loans in a dramatic reversal of the mortgage squeeze









































This is Money | Credit & loans

Pensioner fined after playing Capital One
A retired van driver who cleverly played Capital One's cheque system for two years to supplement his pension has finally been caught out





Can you crack this deal with Egg?
Borrowers can get 15 months interest free on balance transfers and 0% on purchases with a new credit card from Egg

Personal loan rates are ratcheted up
Nationwide will raise some of its loan rates higher than the interest on its credit card later this week. And it's not alone.



Overdrafts popular as loans dry up
Borrowers are taking out bigger overdrafts because banks are cutting back on lending

Personal loan rates are racheted up
Nationwide will raise some of its loan rates higher than the interest on its credit card later this week. And it's not alone.



Abbey's 'bargain' holiday credit card offer
Abbey is launching a genuinely innovative 'holiday' credit card next week. But read carefully or you may get burned

Car loan overhaul to hit poorest buyers
The biggest financer of 'sub-prime' car loans has dramatically withdrawn funding from hundreds of independent dealerships



Card firms keep piling on interest
Credit card companies have imposed major increases in interest rates in the past two years following imposed cuts on their penalty charges

Credit card rates on the rise
The credit crunch has led to an increase in the average cost of credit card debt over the past six months



TV star's offer is a 'debt trap'
Consumer groups have criticised controversial lender Firstplus's launch of a loan which is promoted by TV star Carol Vorderman

Personal loans handed out without checks
The deepening credit crisis is driving up the cost of taking out a personal loan, but lenders are still failing to make sure borrowers are able to repay them



Credit cards with 10,000% interest
Some credit card customers who only have 1p on their credit card could be charged up to 10,000% interest

Credit card transfers high despite crunch
Hundreds of thousands of credit card customers are still trying to transfer their balances every month despite the credit crunch



Finding it hard to get a cheap loan?
What options are available to you if you are in need of credit but are finding it difficult to get the right deal?

Poor pay more as savings rates rise
Wealthy savers have greatly benefited from rising savings rates over the past year, to the detriment of those who depend on loans