The recent rise in the Bank of England?s base rate from 0.25% to 0.5% had been widely predicted. Some lenders had already raised their rates before the announcement, and others swiftly followed suit.

In addition to post-Brexit instability, inflated asking prices are causing the residential housing market to stall, with homeowners wrestling with the accompanying uncertainty.

After the initial shock of the Brexit result in June, there is a growing consensus amongst surveyors and estate agents that the housing market is recovering. The Royal Institute of Chartered Accountants (RICS) reported that 12% more of its members had noted house prices rising rather than falling in August, up from 5% in July.

Despite their increasing prevalence, older people frequently faces age-biased lending criteria, often making borrowing difficult. The growing popularity of equity relief may provide the solution however.

Over the past few years, increased regulation of the bridging finance industry has placed mounting pressure on lenders to retain market share and improve the bottom line. According to a recent article published in the Financial Times, the major banks are returning to the large loan market and this brings fresh challenges for the industry.