Baby boomers tap housing wealth to boost retirement incomes

Baby boomers are increasingly raiding the wealth tied up in their homes to supplement retirement incomes, research has revealed. Since 2015, homeowners have used property wealth to deliver £13billion in extra income via equity release, according to analysts at investment platform AJ Bell. Over the same period, since the start of pension freedoms, some £30billion … Read more

Share of low-income households with children struggling with housing costs has risen to over half

Only a third of people in low income household with consumer debt have enough spare cash for an emergency, a new study has found. The Resolution Foundation says that consumer debt among poorer households has risen the fastest among any income group, with the proportion rising by nine percentage points. This group has become more exposed … Read more

ALEX BRUMMER: Secret life of housing chief Jeff Fairburn

The former chief executive of Persimmon, Jeff Fairburn, and his successor David Jenkinson, will never be able to fully escape the stain of their fat cat bonuses. After a City row over Fairburn’s original payout of more than £100million, it was reduced to £82million (over two years) and Jenkinson received £43.2million. The final insult was … Read more

FTSE LIVE: JD Sports races ahead; Bovis mulls housing merger; Pound holds above $1.23

FTSE CLOSE: Wages up the most in 11 years at 4%; JD Sports sales race ahead; Bovis and Galliford Try mull merger; pound above $1.23 Bovis Homes has rekindled talks over a merger with Galliford Try’s housing arm JD Sports revealed a 10% jump in like-for-like store sales in the UK and Ireland  By Emily … Read more