< p>On a business front it appears that we may be heading for some form of credit seizure looking at the amount of actual loans granted and completed over the past few weeks. I have got serious reservations over the commitment of some lenders who have recently entered the market with a fanfare but who are failing deliver on their early promise…….You know who you are. 

In addition, there are still those who think London is the only market around, although I would say that several others have joined the likes of Precise and advertised their interest in providing product outside of that area.   I am interested to read that Aldermore have launched a 100 per cent Family mortgage product which looks really innovative but given the average LTV across the sector may struggle to find the right client base, at least they are trying, and something is better than nothing for the intermediaries.   I also read that Santander have cut their rates for intermediary mortgages. The only problem there is that brokers are telling me the credit score is almost impossible to get through. I hope this wasn’t a token gesture to make it look like they are helping the sector.    Not much appears to be on the move in either the Bridging or Commercial markets so we will have to see what the coming weeks bring.    I must admit that I am more concerned than ever over the constant bad news flooding the markets and hearing that the service industries that make up – believe it or not – three quarters of our economy, are forecasting the biggest downturn of all time based on current trends. This makes me feel that the credit seizure may well be a reality rather than Chinese whispers.    Since I last wrote I have had a few days break with some of my oldest friends; we on a camping trip to a place near Longleat (bloody big lions and Tigers……….It was a great few days with no stress!    One thing it did remind me is that work is not the only thing in life and that the friends you have outside are probably the most important ones of all, as they bring you back to earth with a bump when you get too big for your boots, which with me was every day!!!   I did, however, get them back because on one day we decided to fish for the day and two of my mates had brought their 400 quid’s worth of fishing gear and I had brought nothing.   I decided that I was still going to join in and fashioned a rod from an old tree branch with some stolen tackle………..I caught the first fish, the biggest fish and the most fish, not bad for an old man. As it happens there is an old saying in the world that “a bad workman blames his tools” and my two friends were living proof of this!