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House price growth remains ‘little changed’ in August


By Dan McGrath

Year-on-year house price growth remained "little changed" in August, Nationwide has stated, as the average UK house price increased by 1.6% to £275,465.

The data from the building society's latest house price index follows growth of 1.4% in July, when the average house price stood at £276,581


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HMRC sets out pension/IHT information-sharing and payment processes

HMRC has published further detail on how pension schemes, personal representatives and beneficiaries will be expected to manage inheritance tax (IHT) on pension death benefits from 6 April 2027, including new information-sharing, withholding and direct-payment requirements

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Net mortgage borrowing falls to £4.3bn in July

Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals dropped by 44% between June and July, standing at £4.3bn last month, the Bank of England has revealed

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Record capital gains and CGT in 2024/25 tax year

A record £127bn in capital gains was reported in the 2024/25 tax year, up 82% year on year, while capital gains tax (CGT) liabilities rose 89% to £24.2bn, according to new figures from HMRC

Residential property transactions drop 1% year-on-year in July

The seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in July totalled 96,710, marking a 1% year-on-year decrease, HMRC has revealed

Pure Retirement

Access FS outlines five-year adviser growth strategy

Access Financial Services (Access FS) has set out a five-year growth strategy focused on expanding its adviser community and developing new talent
Average landlord rental income hits record high

Average property rental income reached a record £20,500 per landlord in the 2024-25 tax year, up 24% from 2020-21, according to HMRC statistics

Pure Retirement

29% of 18-34s have used AI for pension and retirement information

Nearly a third of young adults have already used AI tools to obtain information about pensions and retirement planning, new research from Standard Life has revealed

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HMRC sets out pension/IHT information-sharing and payment processes

HMRC has published further detail on how pension schemes, personal representatives and beneficiaries will be expected to manage inheritance tax (IHT) on pension death benefits from 6 April 2027, including new information-sharing, withholding and direct-payment requirements

Record capital gains and CGT in 2024/25 tax year

A record £127bn in capital gains was reported in the 2024/25 tax year, up 82% year on year, while capital gains tax (CGT) liabilities rose 89% to £24.2bn, according to new figures from HMRC

Fiscal drag prompts one in six workers to reconsider pay rises

As many as 16% of workers have hesitated over or turned down a pay rise, bonus or promotion because they feared higher taxes or losing valuable allowances, new research from Standard Life has found

IHT receipts jump £100m year-on-year in July

Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts increased by £100m year-on-year in July, totalling £3.2bn between April and July, HMRC has revealed

FCA secures majority of victims’ money back from convicted fraudster

Victims of convicted fraudster, John Burford, are set to recover most of the money they invested after the FCA obtained a confiscation order against him

FCA decides to ban father and son following fraud and misuse of client money

The FCA has decided to ban a father and son from UK financial services after the High Court found that they had engaged in fraud and misused client money

Industry reacts to Andy Burnham’s new cabinet

Andy Burnham was appointed as Prime Minister yesterday, ushering in a new cabinet and potential changes to financial policy. Burnham, who replaces Keir Starmer as PM and Labour leader, has put forward his intentions to publish a 10-year plan, and has already announced plans to cut VAT on residential energy bills from 5% to zero from October

FCA cracks down on illegal promotions in first year of new strategy

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has led an international crackdown in illegal finfluencer promotions in the first year of its five-year strategy

Two thirds of top easy access cash ISAs have ‘strings attached’

Only 33 of the top 100 easy access cash ISAs are classed as "clean", Spring has stated, as they come with no short-term bonus rates, withdrawal limits or other restrictions

One in five UK adults has no financial safety net

Financial anxiety is rising steeply across the UK, with one in five adults having no financial safety net and growing concern over investment, pension, mortgage and borrowing decisions, new research from Handelsbanken Wealth has warned. A third of UK adults (33%) now feel apprehensive about making investment decisions themselves, up from 26% last year, while concern around pensions has also risen from 19% to 26%

ISA changes could result in £3.6k loss in interest

Replacing monthly payments on a first-time buyer (FTB) ISA with a single pay out could see savers lose out on around £3,606 when purchasing their first home, Moneybox has revealed

Savings accounts triggering tax liability soar 1,047%

The number of UK savings accounts earning enough interest to potentially trigger a tax bill has risen by 1,047% since 2018, an 11-fold increase as higher interest rates and frozen tax thresholds pull millions more savers into the tax net, according to analysis of CACI data by Yorkshire Building Society

Government to finally address pension tax 'net pay anomaly'

The Government has confirmed that payments to around one million low earners affected by the pension tax relief ‘net pay anomaly’ will begin over the coming months, an overdue move that AJ Bell described as a "scandal"

29% of 18-34s have used AI for pension and retirement information

Nearly a third of young adults have already used AI tools to obtain information about pensions and retirement planning, new research from Standard Life has revealed

SIPP reforms risk 'information overwhelm' as firms call for clarity

Industry bodies have urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide greater clarity and avoid unnecessary regulatory complexity in its proposed reforms to self-invested personal pensions (SIPP)

Three quarters underestimate pension investment growth

Around £65,000 of a typical £100,000 defined contribution pension pot comes from compound investment growth, but three quarters of people do not realise its importance, research from Standard Life has suggested

63% of consumers fear Burnham policies could leave households worse off

Nearly two-thirds of UK consumers fear the Government’s recently announced policies could ultimately leave their households worse off, while confidence that the plans can be delivered without higher personal taxes remains low, a new study has revealed

Half of IFA firms earn 2% or less on cash reserves

More than half (56%) of UK independent financial advice (IFA) and wealth management firms earned 2% or less on their cash reserves in the last 12 months, Flagstone has revealed

CPI inflation increases to 2.9% in July

Consumer price index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.9% in the 12 months to July, after falling to 2.6% in June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed. The jump in inflation was attributed to the increase in the Ofgem energy price cap, which rose in part because of higher wholesale energy prices following the conflict in the Middle East

Millions of UK workers remain financially vulnerable to income shocks

Millions of working households remain vulnerable to financial shocks despite signs of recovery from the cost-of-living crisis, with more than a third of employees classed as 'economically exposed', Royal London has warned

Almost half of Gen Z say AI has changed their mind about a decision

Almost half of Gen Z adults say AI has influenced a decision they made, and a majority trust the technology, with AI playing a growing role in shaping personal and financial choices, according to research commissioned by Aegon

Financial services businesses risk ‘AI invisibility’ by ignoring reviews

The financial services sector is facing a "critical strategy-action gap" that puts many firms at risk of losing market share because they are becoming invisible in the AI answers consumers are using to make decisions, TrustPilot has stated

Bridging lenders told to embrace electronic signatures

Loans Warehouse has called on bridging lenders to embrace using electronic signatures, following a decade of investment in better technology, streamlined underwriting and faster decision-making

AI use among financial advisers rises by 31 percentage points in a year

The proportion of UK financial advisers using artificial intelligence (AI) has increased by 31 percentage points over the past year, analysis from Intelliflo has revealed

News in brief - 1 September 2026

Today's round up of developments coming out of the consumer finance space, featuring SDKA, Glenhawk, Pepper Money and Paragon Bank

Access FS outlines five-year adviser growth strategy

Access Financial Services (Access FS) has set out a five-year growth strategy focused on expanding its adviser community and developing new talent

News in brief - 27 August 2026

Today's round up of developments coming out of the consumer finance space, featuring The Open Property Data Association, The Right Mortgage & Protection Network, Aldermore and Darlington Building Society

United Trust Bank creates new real estate finance division

United Trust Bank (UTB) has combined its property development and structured property solutions divisions to create a new real estate finance division

BLOG: Royal London Equity Release: How high-net-worth individuals could benefit from releasing equity with the exclusive Premier product offering

In February 2026, we were recognised at the MoneyAge Mortgage Awards, taking home the title of ‘Later Life Lender of the Year’, with judges highlighting our rapid distribution growth, extensive adviser engagement and meaningful product enhancements. As an equity release provider, our approach is rooted in a holistic view of retirement, aiming to provide good customer outcomes with backing from the UK’s largest mutual life, pensions and investment company* – but what can we offer you and your clients?

BLOG: Are added-value services the key to engaging clients in protection?

Scottish Widows Protection Director, Rose St Louis, discusses how reframing protection conversations can help to engage clients

BLOG: Award-winning lending, built brick by brick

Saffron for Intermediaries discusses its latest lending offering on the MoneyAge blog

BLOG: Doing Good is Good Business

MoneyAge Awards winner Bespoke Advice discusses the key fundamentals of good financial planning in our latest blog piece

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Funding home adaptations: The changing needs in later life planning

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Delivering A Consumer-Focused Later Life Lending Sector for 2026 and Beyond

Later Life Lending: It’s more than just equity release or retirement interest only (RIO)

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