Commission on Mutual and Co-operative Housing Begins Work

Mutual institutions, such as building societies, have been a much more important influence in the world of housing finance, than in housing itself, in the UK in recent years. However, that may be about to change. A group of institutions interested in promoting co-operative and mutual ideals in the provision of housing has just established the Commission on Co-operative and Mutual Housing.

The Commission, chaired by the BSA's Adrian Coles, includes representatives of a wide range of interested parties.  It intends to update and expand the evidence base on co-operative housing and, to the extent that the evidence supports growth, look at ways of promoting a sector that in many other countries plays a much larger role in the provision of affordable housing than is the case currently in the UK.

The Commission was launched at the Co-operative Congress earlier this year - details can be found here

 Read the full article

The BSA's new appointments

The BSA is pleased to announce that it has recruited Paul Broadhead, Deputy Director-General of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, to the position of Head of Mortgage Policy and Jeremy Palmer, currently Manager - Mutual Deposit-Takers Unit, in the Wholesale and Prudential Policy Division at the Financial Services Authority, as Head of Financial Policy at the BSA.

Paul will head up the Association’s new mortgage policy team and joins the BSA in November 2008.

Paul started his career with the then Halifax Building Society.  He was then seconded to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as Business Change Manager on the Home Information Pack programme. 

Paul was appointed Deputy Director General of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers in March 2006.

Since 1999 Jeremy has been at the Financial Services Authority, managing a specialist policy team covering mutual deposit takers (building societies and credit unions), now in the Wholesale and Prudential Policy Division. Jeremy's team is responsible for FSA's Building Societies Regulatory Guide, the (remainder of the) Interim Prudential Sourcebook for Building Societies, and policy on matters relating to the continuing 1986 Act, where FSA acquired certain of the Commission's functions at N2. 

Mortgage lending in the credit crunch

How can lenders ensure that they have strategies in place to ensure that they are best placed to weather the credit crunch?

The BSA’s first seminar looking at the mortgage market, scheduled to be held in Nottingham on 25 September, is designed to give delegates a greater understanding of what has become a rapidly changing market place, and how they can ensure that their organisations are going to be able to respond.

Issues that will be discussed include topics such as how lenders should adapt their product ranges to reflect the changing housing and mortgage market, how has the credit crunch impacted on the economics of mortgage pricing, how are lenders pricing associated charges, should lenders be making greater use of intermediaries and how can building societies successfully compete against competitors.

As well as speakers from the Chelsea, West Bromwich, Coventry and Stafford Railway building societies, delegates will also hear from the RICS, Moneyfacts, Chase de Vere, Mortgage Advisor and the BSA.

Further details and a booking form can be found here

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