Afin Bank has launched a range of residential and buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages after being given full regulatory approval by the PRA and the FCA. The new lender was created to support people from the African diaspora and other foreign nationals with an overseas passport and a valid visa to work in the UK, who can struggle to get a mortgage from mainstream lenders. Afin Bank’s range includes a mortgage for first-time buyers, a home movers’ mortgage, a remortgage product and a BTL mortgage for people wanting to invest in the UK property market.

LiveMore has more than doubled its mortgage applications in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Between January and June 2025, the lender’s mortgage applications increased by 132% while completions also saw a significant uplift, rising by 58% compared to the same period in 2024. LiveMore’s portfolio spans retirement interest only, standard capital and interest, interest only, as well as lifetime mortgages.

Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has completed a £13.3m facility to support the refinance and phased disposal of homes at an integrated retirement community in the South of England. The structured facility allows the borrower to refinance 59 remaining homes and progress unit-by-unit sales to private buyers. HTB revealed that the facility, which completed in four weeks, provides funding certainty while aligning with the borrower’s disposal plan and long-term objectives.

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