The explosive growth of peer-to-peer finance is partly a response to consumers’ needs to make their money generate some income in a low interest rate environment.

A fundamental issue affecting the market is the chronic shortage of housing supply, which means many people become priced out.

The post-HTB2 environment remains uncertain, and there is no guarantee that product supply will hold at current levels when the scheme finishes at the end of 2016.

Young people looking to get on the property ladder are being locked out of the market and spilling into the private rental sector in increasing numbers with the implications being numerous.

With the news that Buy to Let rates have fallen to their lowest ever levels and continuing low interest rates coupled with impending pension freedoms, this year may herald a surge in first time ‘grand-lords’....

The strongest momentum is clearly in the purchase market, where the number of loan approvals in January continued to grow despite a slight slowdown in remortgaging and other activity.

Steady, not stellar, growth is likely to be the pattern for house prices in 2015 - the double-digit rises of 2014 are history.

In 2015, the industry needs to be doing even more to support intermediaries faced with having so many familiar lending doors closed to them.

Today's data confirms that house prices are still rising. However, we are still experiencing a two-speed housing market.

When you factor in the boost provided to buyers by wages climbing and inflation slowing, there are strong foundations for a growth in lending in 2015.

Equity release has become a mainstream financial solution, and financial advisers could help spread that message and educate the consumer.

The cost of a combined buildings and contents insurance policy has remained static over the past three months...However, the general view is that prices have reached bottom and will start to rise.