Connells estate agents have reported a large increase in residential mortgage valuations in February, nearly a quarter more than the same period last year and 53% more than January They also reported that there was a 20% increase in valuations for home owners moving home, which amounts to an 81% increase month on month

Contractor specialist mortgage broker Contractor Mortgages Made Easy has decided to hold its own version of The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee The economy has seen some very unusual activity in the last few months, and as a result the base rate has been kept low for a long time

A Contractor Asks: “I am returning to contracting after 10 years of permanent employment When I contracted before things seemed relatively simple – I simply ran my own limited company as a director taking a small salary and high dividends and that was what almost everybody did