More people look for mortgages

The credit reference agency Experian says that mortgage searches on its website rose 88% in January, a bigger-than-usual increase for that time of year. Nicholas Morrey from the mortgage broker John Charcol explained: "It's no surprise that people are starting to look for deals now that the election is out of the way; the moment Boris Johnson called it, people started to think, 'It's time to move.'" However, separate data shows that mortgage approval rates for self-employed people stand at 76% - while those with bad credit history had an approval rate of 89% and 86% of retired people were given a loan.

The Times (07/02/20)