Not sure if this thread will catch on, because no-one here seems to have much to say about individual british banks, but thought i would add this header to see if we could discuss dividend yields, exposure to sup-prime, good ones, bad ones, take-over targets, when the crisis will end? do you think they have learnt their lesson? I, for one, as a property developer have seen first hand how much stricter they have become with lending habits, struggling to get decent rates for re-mortgaging, basically they appear scared to lend to anyone.

BTW, Joe.
Had my staff advised people 10 years ago not to take an interest only mortgage, but stay renting instead, you would have been at the front of the queue to sue the arse off everyone I ever met, because that advice would ahve been shockingly bad. It would have lost them thousands.
You now argue we should have done exactly that for the last few years!!
Tell you what. We will follow it to its logical conclusion and my company will be responsible for any change in circumstances ever, regardless of how outrageous they are.
When someone dies and their wife can no longer afford the mortgage because they cancelled the life cover we insisted on, that will be our fault.
Might sound stupid, but it is not nearly as stupid as arguing we should have foreseen the current economic climate several years ago. The first is predictable. The second was not.
And think through your argument about someone taking responsibility for talking sense to these people. If I had told a young couple 10 years ago not to buy a house, they couldn't afford it, do you really believe they would have agreed and stayed put? Get real.
They would have trotted off to the local branch of the Halifax and taken whatever they could get. They would have been in the same mess, because banks do not advise, but I would have saved them a few quid in the meantime by ensuring they got the best possible deal in the UK. Yet somehow I am a pantomime villain for that? Strange.

Agree with what to say Alan. Unfortunately too many people have been encouraged to have what they like. Many can not be bothered to read what is on the tin. Many people, myself included have ranted on to friends, relatives etc about the dangers of excessive debt. It can be better to go without unnecessary things rather than build up debt. Unfortunately, it is times like these that hard lessons are learnt.

Interesting article on http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/ about buy to let and embodying a comment by Katie Tucker of John Charcol. You did say "watch this space" re John Charcol the other day.

Can't find the reference to Ms Tucker at the mo, Gus, but keep watching. Rumours are rife and growing.

Ian, re Times online article-Katie Tucker- "after another week of turmoil in mortgage markets novice landlords now face huge difficulties securing a loan and thousands of existing landlords coming to the end of fixed-rate deals will find it very expensive to switch mortgage providers if they have not built up 75% equity in their buy-to-let property".

Business is on the wane - keeping watch.

Looks like HBOS could be next up to the trough for around 6b.
2517

My target for HBOS is 300p the rights issue will only add problems to a worsening housing market.

I have asked for my bank divis to be paid in shares as opposed to cash.

Where can I find out how many shares I will get for my divi. I know how much divi per share is but don't know what price they use for the share valuation. i.e. - is the SP at ex-divi date or SP when divi is paid [or another price ?]
Alex

RBS / Natwest / One Account has cut fixed rates to new borrowers by up to 0.3%.
The begining of the end of the crisis? No, but perhaps the end of the begining.
They have signalled that this is in response to maintaining an increased market share. This shows how many lenders have disappeared from the market.
I fully expect other lenders to follow suit, and indeed know of several who have deals on "withdrawl watch".
The begining of the end will be signalled by relaxing criteria and higher loan to values. That will not come for some time yet.

Alex,
The share price is the average of the middle market quotations for the companys shares as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five business days commencing the day on which the shares were first quoted ex dividend.

Kim
many thanks
Alex

got 850k from house sale,need to put it in a high interest ac, will n.rock guarrantee all of it even if i am a new customer, anyone know?

Why not ask them?

No.

Buy petrol in bulk.

halifax, have tried ,the silence is can make you deaf!

Why not look at their website, webster? The answer is covered in detail.

Abbey are now following RBoS, only not quite as far.
This looks like the start of a turnround in policy across the banks. They were fighting to ensure they were not exposed as a lender of choice and now they appear to be positioning themselves to be more attractive.
This is a good sign, as it will encourage the niche lenders to dip their collective toes back in to sub prime markets and prime lenders to eventually stop competing on price and start to compete again on criteria.
Whos next?
My guess is for the HBOS group to extend its existing customer range to new customers.

And now the Chelsea have pulled their deals, from tonight. No idea what the new ones will be, up or down, but they are changing.

My opinion, FWIW.
The first stage in the rehabilitation of the consumer lending markets is underway.
Within the industry, the word exposure is gradually being replaced by the word compete. As a caveat to that, this does not yet apply to new build and BTL, or to sub prime, but it does to <90% LTV.
Because of this, I think its time to go long on banks (except Barc). The timing may not be perfect, but the future is brighter than people may believe.
For many lenders, margins are up and volumes are between 10 + 20% higher, due to a disproportionate reduction in the number of lendes compared to the amount of cash being lent out.
We all read of lower mortgage approval rates, but it should be remembered that the lenders who have disappeared accounted for almost 40% of lending last year. Those that are left have a bigger slice.
Lenders are also suggesting that while houses are admitedly not selling, prices are more robust than predicted by their risk management teams, and while prices may not rise at all, the drop predictions are getting smaller as liquidity starts to very slowly return.
Stage 2 of the rehabilitation will be signalled by lenders relaxing LTV criteria on new builds. These are currently restricted by some lenders to 65% as they fear that the exposure would be too great when one adds the possible fall in value to the premium loss suffered when a new home becomes a "2nd hand" one. When this restriction moves to a more reasonable rate, I think it will signal banking confidence that a crash is not on the cards any more.
Stage 3 will then be a slow return of higher risk lending as property markets start to edge higher and lenders are more comfortable lending to equity.
It could, of course, all stall if the wider economy slows too much, but most of the factors causing the poor outlook are related directly to financial turmoil.
Having said all the above, Yesterday saw one minor lender close its doors, and one major player (GE Capital) pull out of the BTL market, so it is still finely balanced, and Barc seem to have an internal rift on how or indeed if, to capitalise on its position as a lender with an increased market share.
But for me, banks are now underpriced given the way they are relaxing a bit.
All IMO, DYOR etc, etc.

Analysts yesterday heaped further pressure on Barclays by predicting a 3 billion capital raising this month, on top of 3 billion in further writedowns, and the payment of a paper, rather than cash, dividend.

The note from analysts at Dresdner Kleinwort came amid speculation that Barclayss chief operating officer was departing because of infighting at the top of the bank and an absence of merger and acquisition activity. Paul Idzik will step down later this year.

Barclays has so far played down the possibility of a cash injection, despite plans by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HBOS to raise 12 billion and 4 billion respectively in rights issues to bolster their capital cushions.

Dresdner yesterday downgraded Barclays from hold to reduce, ahead of the banks first quarter update on May 15. James Invine, banks analyst, said a further 3 billion in writedowns would drop Barclayss equity Tier 1 ratio a measure of financial strength to 4.7 per cent. RBSs rights issue will boost its ratio to 6 per cent and HBOS is aiming for closer to 7 per cent.