Halifax

Dunkeld, Perthshire has been named as the Best Place to Live in Scotland in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

UK house prices increased by 1.8% in June, signalling the twelfth consecutive monthly rise, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index.

Halifax has launched a new ultra-low two-year fixed-rate mortgage deal priced at 0.83%. The deal was made available to homebuyers via mortgage brokers yesterday and allows those wishing to take out a loan worth up to 60% of the value of their home.

Britain's mortgage lenders have dramatically increased their loan-to-value deposits for house purchases with Halifax and Barclays among those seeking 40% down-payments to fund buyers amid rising expectations of a housing crash.