James Murray
Verified
MA Sports Journalism and Communications @RealMadridUE | Editor @MortgageChat | TTP
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by James Murray
Later-life lending advice gap leaves older borrowers short of options
Too many brokers and equity release specialists are missing products older homeowners need, as the case for whole-of-life mortgage advice grows By 12 Oct 2026 The divide between equity release specialists and mainstream mortgage advisers is leaving older UK homeowners at risk of missing the products best suited to them.
How specialist lending can close Scotland's homeownership gap
Nearly half of Scottish non-homeowners believe they will never buy, but Pepper Money's Rob Barnard says the solutions exist By 12 Oct 2026 Scotland's homeownership problem is not what most people think it is. The barrier is not aspiration, it is the belief that the door is already closed to them. That is the view of Rob Barnard (pictured top), intermediary relationship director at Pepper Money, speaking to Mortgage Introducer following the lender's recent first charge mortgage launch in Scotland.
Why scrapping stamp duty could unlock the stalled housing market
Stamp duty is set to stay off the table at the Budget, but Tembo’s CEO argues scrapping it would free up family homes for buyers By 09 Oct 2026 Scrapping stamp duty would do more to restart the UK housing market than any other single policy change, according to Richard Dana (pictured top). The Autumn Budget on 28 October is expected to leave the tax untouched. Prime minister Andy Burnham ruled out changing or abolishing stamp duty in July.
Protection gap won't close without better sales skills, says Terry Blackburn
The Wealthy Advisers Club founder argues the industry's protection problem is a sales confidence issue, not a regulatory one By 09 Oct 2026 The protection gap is not a regulatory failure. It is a sales failure, and mortgage and protection advisers have the means to fix it. That was the argument made by Terry Blackburn (pictured top), founder of The Wealthy Advisers Club, speaking at the organisation's latest conference in London this week.
'Residential will disappear in five years, brokers must move into complex'
Nouran Moustafa warns mounting pressure on high-street lending is driving advisers towards buy-to-let and complex markets By 08 Oct 2026 The residential mortgage market is under siege, and brokers who fail to recognise the structural shifts now bearing down on the sector risk being left behind.
The Big Interview: Dawid Kotur on why AI compliance has to be built narrow
Curvestone AI's CEO on the shadow IT threat, why spot-checking is a failed strategy, and how 100% compliance became affordable By 07 Oct 2026 Dawid Kotur (pictured top), co-founder and chief executive of Curvestone AI, has spent more than a decade building AI systems for some of the world's largest organisations.
Mansion tax threshold shift could trap asset-rich, cash-poor homeowners
Proposed threshold cut raises valuation disputes and retirement planning concerns for longstanding property owners By 06 Oct 2026 A proposed cut to the mansion tax threshold from £2 million to £1.5 million could draw hundreds of thousands of additional homeowners into an annual charge they have no reliable means of paying, particularly in London and the South East, where property values have risen sharply over decades without any corresponding increase in household income.
Funding 365 completes £930,000 bridge in 48 hours to save landlord from default
A social housing landlord avoids a 5% penalty as Funding 365 and Aureum Finance deliver under genuine time pressure By 06 Oct 2026 A landlord facing a 5% default fee from their existing lender has been rescued after Funding 365 completed a £930,000 residential bridging loan in just 48 hours from enquiry to completion. Introduced by Aureum Finance, the loan is secured at 65% loan-to-value against a bungalow in outer London converted for social housing use.
Burnham's Your First Home is the wrong answer to the right question
Charlie Lamdin warns the scheme could trap first-time buyers in negative equity for years By 05 Oct 2026 Andy Burnham's Your First Home scheme – expected to allow eligible first-time buyers to purchase new-build properties with a 2.5% deposit and a 20% government-backed equity loan – risks repeating the mistakes of Help to Buy without solving the underlying affordability crisis.
Burnham's Your First Home: the wrong answer to the right question?
Charlie Lamdin warns the scheme could trap first-time buyers in negative equity for years By 05 Oct 2026 Andy Burnham's Your First Home scheme – expected to allow eligible first-time buyers to purchase new-build properties with a 2.5% deposit and a 20% government-backed equity loan – risks repeating the mistakes of Help to Buy without solving the underlying affordability crisis.
Why the later-life lending market still has an education problem
Tim Spencer on stigma, terminology, and why the industry must do more to reach clients By 05 Oct 2026 The phrase "equity release" has become a problem. Tim Spencer (pictured top), managing director at Optimus Mortgages and a specialist in later-life lending, believes those two words carry so much historical baggage that they routinely derail conversations before they have properly begun, and the industry has done precious little to fix it.
Five-year mortgage rate reaches 6% for the first time in three years
Swap rate volatility and surging gilt yields have driven the sharpest mortgage repricing since 2023, leaving borrowers with fewer options and higher costs By 05 Oct 2026 The average five-year fixed mortgage rate has reached 6% for the first time since September 2023, according to Moneyfacts. The average two-year fixed rate has simultaneously climbed to 5.98% – its highest point since December 2023 – meaning average fixed mortgage rates have not been above 6% for around three years.
Burnham's landlord squeeze could trigger a wider financial crisis
Nouran Moustafa warns the pressure on landlords risks a cash-flow crisis that could spread to lenders and rates By 02 Oct 2026 Prime minister Andy Burnham left Liverpool with a housing agenda that promises to reshape the private rented sector, and mortgage advisers have been weighing what the proposals mean for landlords and the buy-to-let market ahead of the Budget.
What record diesel prices mean ahead of next BoE rate decision
Oil's reach extends far beyond the forecourt, with brokers already watching swap rates and preparing clients ahead of the 5 November rate decision By 02 Oct 2026 Diesel crossed £2 a litre for the first time on Friday, with the RAC confirming an average price of 200.01p – a 40.5% rise since late February when disruption to oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz began pushing fuel costs to record levels.
Industry urges Budget action as house price growth halves
Annual growth hits its weakest rate since December as rising mortgage costs and economic uncertainty weigh on buyer demand By 01 Oct 2026 Annual house price growth in the UK slowed sharply to 0.8% in September, half the 1.6% recorded in August and the weakest rate since last December, according to Nationwide's latest House Price Index (HPI).
What gilt yields hitting 28-year high means for mortgage borrowers
As gilt yields hit levels not seen since 1998, Nicholas Mendes warns borrowers to act before rates move again By 01 Oct 2026 Thirty-year gilt yields have broken 6% for the first time since 1998, driven by a global bond sell-off fuelled by inflation fears and Middle East conflict keeping oil supplies tight.
Deposits are pricing out buyers who can already afford a mortgage
Gable Mortgages’ co-CEOs on why Britain's housing crisis demands smarter underwriting and a rethink of deposit logic By 30 Sep 2026 The gap between what renters can afford to pay each month and what they are required to save before they can buy is widening, and the mortgage market has been too slow to respond.
The Big Interview: Josh Knight on bridging's shifting landscape
Glenhawk's new sales and marketing chief on developer pivots, lender funding questions brokers should ask, and a wholesale proposition overhaul By 30 Sep 2026 Meeting Josh Knight (pictured top) at Glenhawk's Conduit Street offices in London's Mayfair, it quickly becomes clear that the specialist bridging lender's new managing director of sales and marketing has not arrived to manage the status quo.
Bank of mum and dad under strain as first-time buyer deposits soar
Growing deposit sizes are testing family finances, but new low-deposit products are offering alternative routes onto the ladder By 29 Sep 2026 The average first-time buyer is now putting down close to £70,000 to purchase a home, equivalent to 20.7% of a typical purchase price of more than £305,000, according to new figures from L&C Mortgages.
What Burnham's housing pledges mean for the mortgage market
A 2.5% deposit scheme, leasehold legislation and council powers over poor rentals set the agenda for first-time buyer and landlord advice By 29 Sep 2026 Prime minister Andy Burnham has put housing at the heart of his first Labour Party conference speech. He confirmed a 2.5% deposit route for first-time buyers, a leasehold reform Bill before Christmas and new council powers to take over neglected rental homes. The package is set to reshape the mortgage market over the next 12 months.
Rayner vows to cap leasehold fees and regulate property agents
Leaseholders face fewer hidden charges as the government announces independent regulation of property agents and new caps on permission fees By 29 Sep 2026 The government has confirmed new powers to cap fees charged to leaseholders and introduce independent regulation of property agents, in a package of reforms unveiled by housing secretary Angela Rayner at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday.
Mortgage approvals slip again as buyers await Budget support
House purchase approvals fell to 54,900 in August while effective rates on new mortgages climbed to 4.6% ahead of the Budget By 29 Sep 2026 Mortgage approvals for house purchases fell again in August, dropping to 54,900 from 55,900 in July, as rising borrowing costs and uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget kept many UK buyers on the sidelines, according to the Bank of England's latest Money and Credit statistical release.
London property slump deepens as brokers brace for October Budget
Adviser warns stamp duty, a stalled base rate and fading confidence are leaving London buyers unable to move By 28 Sep 2026 London's housing market is sliding further behind the rest of the country, with high mortgage rates, stamp duty costs and uncertainty over the Bank of England's next move leaving buyers and sellers stuck ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Burnham's Your First Home scheme wins cautious industry backing
New-build equity loan plan could halve what first-time buyers need to save, but affordability and supply questions remain By 28 Sep 2026 Mortgage professionals have given a cautious welcome to Your First Home, a new equity loan scheme for first-time buyers in England announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Saturday. They have also warned that its success will depend on detail yet to be published.
Unemployment cover is the protection gap brokers are missing
Rising redundancies could expose broker files under Consumer Duty where unemployment risk is never discussed or recorded By 25 Sep 2026 Mortgage brokers who skip conversations about unemployment cover are leaving a weakness in their files as redundancies rise across the UK, according to Paul Hampton (pictured top), owner and mortgage consultant at Approved Mortgage Solutions.
Advisers urged to put income protection at heart of mortgage advice
With just 9% of UK adults holding cover, the protection gap starts with how the mortgage appointment is framed By 25 Sep 2026 Mortgage advisers should treat income protection as part of a borrower's core affordability picture rather than an optional extra, according to Jamie Page (pictured top), who heads up distribution at The Exeter, a UK mutual friendly society providing protection and healthcare insurance.
Equity release no longer a last resort as higher rates reshape advice
Wealthier homeowners are folding property wealth into estate planning while others turn to cheaper interest-only borrowing in later life By 24 Sep 2026 Higher interest rates are accelerating a shift that has pushed equity release out of the last-resort category. Wealthier UK homeowners are increasingly weighing it up as part of estate planning, while borrowers who can service their debt are turning to interest-only mortgages priced closer to the mainstream market.
First-time buyer affordability splits along north-south lines
Deposit saving and stretched income multiples are holding back first-time buyers in the south while northern cities remain within reach By 24 Sep 2026 First-time buyer affordability deteriorated in the second quarter of 2026 as swap rate increases linked to the Middle East conflict pushed up mortgage pricing, but the squeeze has landed far harder on southern cities than on the north, according to the chief executive of a fast-growing savings and mortgage platform.
What overpricing is really costing the UK housing market
Charlie Lamdin says estate agent overvaluation is the single biggest cause of slow transactions and failed sales By 23 Sep 2026 Overpricing is the single biggest cause of slow property transactions in the UK today, and the estate agents, lenders and brokers perpetuating it are, in Charlie Lamdin's view, damaging the very clients they are meant to serve. Lamdin (pictured top), founder of housing marketplace BestAgent, has spent years making an argument the industry has been reluctant to hear.
The Big Interview: Colin Field on building society modernisation
Saffron Building Society's chief executive on rebuilding mortgage origination, lending growth ambitions and why the biggest risk is doing nothing By 23 Sep 2026 Heritage has long been one of the strongest selling points for Britain's building societies. The chief executive of one mutual founded in 1849 believes it will count for far less in the years ahead, and that the bigger danger for his society is standing still.
Hope Capital bridging lender turns 15 as funding lines reach £160m
Specialist finance firm founded as a one-man operation in 2011 now lends across England, Wales and Scotland from a new headquarters By 23 Sep 2026 Liverpool-based bridging lender Hope Capital Property Finance has reached 15 years in the specialist finance market, with the milestone coinciding with its move into a new headquarters three times the size of its previous office. The business began in 2011 as a one-man operation run from a borrowed desk and chair.
Buy-to-let remortgages rise as Renters' Rights Act bites
Landlords are navigating a shifting market, with rising costs and new regulation prompting a surge in remortgage activity By 22 Sep 2026 The buy-to-let market is undergoing a structural shift, driven by the Renters' Rights Act and a wave of interest-only mortgages reaching maturity, with brokers seeing the consequences play out on their books.
Rate hikes pile pressure on brokers racing to secure client deals
Brokers are under intense strain as lenders pull products at short notice, leading to hours spent queuing on lender systems to lock in rates By 22 Sep 2026 When lenders raise rates with little warning, the workload for mortgage brokers can become overwhelming fast. Rhys Edwards (pictured top), mortgage consultant at Brooks Financial, knows the pattern well, and says the pressure on advisers during rate hike periods is something clients rarely see.
Protection gap demands more than awareness, industry tells FCA
Mortgage and protection professionals welcome the FCA's pure protection market study but say personalised, data-led support must follow By 21 Sep 2026 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the final report of its Pure Protection Market Study, concluding that while competition in the market functions well for those who hold cover, millions of UK adults remain without it, and the regulator is now partnering with industry, government and consumer groups to address that.
Yorkshire buy-to-let: what brokers need to know before pointing clients north
Professional landlords are reshaping Yorkshire's buy-to-let market, but local knowledge can determine whether a deal works or fails By 21 Sep 2026 Yorkshire and the Humber has emerged as one of the most closely watched buy-to-let regions in the UK, drawing increasing attention from professional investors who have become markedly more selective about where they place their capital. The opportunity for brokers with landlord clients looking northward is real, but so are the pitfalls.
The Big Interview: Christine Newell on opening up specialist finance
FIBA's Christine Newell on removing the barriers keeping mainstream brokers out of specialist property finance By 18 Sep 2026 Christine Newell (pictured top) has spent 36 years in the mortgage industry, but she is not interested in looking back.
Bank of England holds base rate despite inflation climb
The MPC voted to keep Bank Rate at 3.75% despite growing inflation pressure and a widening split within the committee By 17 Sep 2026 The Bank of England has kept its base rate unchanged at 3.75% for a sixth consecutive meeting, resisting calls for an immediate rise despite inflation climbing to 3.1% in August. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to hold borrowing costs in place at its 17 September meeting.
RECAP: How the Bank of England reached its latest decision
All the buildup and reaction as the BoE held rates steady again By 17 Sep 2026 Note: This is a live blog. Please refresh the page to receive the latest updates. That's a wrap! That just about does it for today's live blog, but as always, make sure to follow Mortgage Introducer throughout the day for more reaction to the decision and what it means for the mortgage market.
Live blog: BoE to reveal latest rate decision
All the buildup and reaction as the BoE prepares to make its latest rate decision By 17 Sep 2026 11:10 a.m.: Recap of the Bank of England's latest announcements The UK's central bank has held interest rates steady throughout 2026 so far, resisting pressure to move in either direction as it weighs the impact of higher oil prices and the ongoing conflict in Iran on the national economy – though today's decision could break that run.
Lender hikes point to base rate rise ahead of MPC vote
Major banks have raised mortgage rates twice in a week as swap rates climb and inflation hits 3.1% By 16 Sep 2026 UK inflation climbed to 3.1% in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed on Wednesday, heaping further pressure on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) ahead of its base rate decision tomorrow.
Mortgage industry split on MPC as rate hike threat grows
Mortgage Introducer poll reveals where industry professionals stand ahead of the Bank of England's base rate decision By 16 Sep 2026 More than half of mortgage professionals expect the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hold the base rate at its 17 September meeting, but the case for a rise is growing, according to a new LinkedIn poll conducted by Mortgage Introducer. Of 133 respondents, 57% backed a hold when asked what the MPC would do at its scheduled decision on Thursday.
What the latest inflation rise means for the Bank of England's rate call
Annual CPI rise puts pressure on borrowers as the Monetary Policy Committee prepares to vote on Thursday By 16 Sep 2026 UK inflation accelerated to 3.1% in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday, piling pressure on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) ahead of its base rate decision tomorrow.
Why brokers should stop talking house prices and focus on process
BestAgent founder Charlie Lamdin argues house price data tells brokers nothing they can actually use By 15 Sep 2026 The Lloyds House Price Index has recorded a 0.4% annual fall in August, marking the first year-on-year decrease since November 2023. Charlie Lamdin (pictured top), founder of housing marketplace BestAgent, sees it as further evidence that the industry's obsession with house prices is doing more harm than good.
Why AI could cost brokers more than it saves them
Nicholas Mendes warns the industry risks sleepwalking into unsustainable AI dependency By 15 Sep 2026 Mortgage brokers rushing to adopt AI to cut costs may be storing up a far larger bill once platform providers raise their prices when dependency is locked in.
Nationwide and Investec among bidders circling Aldermore sale
FirstRand's auction of the UK challenger bank draws major lenders as a first-round deadline falls By 15 Sep 2026 Nationwide and Investec are among the institutions set to submit first-round bids for Aldermore, the UK challenger bank being sold by its South African owner FirstRand, according to sources cited by City AM. The two lenders are expected to lodge offers ahead of an initial deadline on Tuesday (15 September).
Property118 v HMRC: what the tribunal ruling means for landlords
Mortgage professionals weigh in as further hearings loom for thousands caught up in the dispute By 14 Sep 2026 A First-tier Tribunal has ruled in favour of Property118 and Cotswold Barristers in a long-running dispute with HMRC over whether two landlord portfolio incorporation arrangements should have been disclosed as notifiable tax avoidance schemes, but industry figures and legal commentators are divided over what the result actually means for the landlords caught up in the case.
Landlord database raises legal and connectivity concerns
Industry experts warn the private rented sector register lacks the integration and marketing push needed to drive genuine compliance By 14 Sep 2026 England's national landlord database launches in December, with all landlords actively letting property required to register by 14 November 2027 or face civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act.
What happens when buy-to-let's high-fee honeymoon ends
High-fee, low-rate products may be keeping landlords afloat today, but a refinancing crunch could follow within five years By 11 Sep 2026 Landlords coming off cheap fixed-rate mortgages are being steered towards high-fee buy-to-let products that could leave them trapped at maturity – a situation one adviser describes as a new form of mortgage prisoner that the regulator has no framework to recognise.
Four rate hikes in sight as UK growth defies expectations
Money markets are pricing in a steep path of tightening as resilient GDP data and surging energy costs pile pressure on the Bank of England By 11 Sep 2026 Money markets are now pricing in four quarter-point increases in Bank Rate by July 2027 – a trajectory that would lift borrowing costs from 3.75% to 4.75% – after official figures showed the UK economy grew by 0.4% in July, a result that caught analysts off guard and bolstered the case for an earlier move on rates.
Why protection deserves equal billing with the mortgage
Income protection remains critically undersold, but the way brokers structure referrals may be the key to closing the gap By 11 Sep 2026 The UK's protection gap will not close on its own, and the mortgage industry bears much of the responsibility for keeping it open. Craig Head (pictured top), director at Mortgage Required, believes the way brokers handle protection referrals is at the heart of the problem. The scale of the challenge is stark.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with James
Contact James, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack