Regulation · ExplainedCP26/18: what the FCA proposes for bridging loans and RIO mortgagesRegulated bridges could run for up to 24 months including extensions, and joint RIO applications would lose a test lenders say holds back supply.The Editor · 17 October 2026Regulation · NewsRegulators drop the per-lender cap on high loan-to-income mortgages from 28 OctoberLenders can now write more loans above 4.5 times income, but the room depends on what the whole market does.Lending Intelligence · 17 October 2026Second charge · ExplainedWhat arrears figures do and don't tell you about second-charge mortgagesSecond charges sit inside the FCA's mortgage statistics but are never shown on their own. No official source publishes their arrears today.Lending Intelligence · 17 October 2026Training · ExplainedWhat qualifications you need to advise on second-charge and later-life mortgagesSecond charges sit under the same competence rules as first charges. Equity release adds a qualification of its own, and bridging a gap.Lending Intelligence · 17 October 2026Complaints · DataSecond-charge complaints upheld more often than any other mortgageOnly 124 new complaints reached the ombudsman in the quarter, so the rate can swing sharply from one quarter to the next.Lending Intelligence · 16 October 2026Technology · AnalysisWhat the FCA found in second charge — and what your systems aren't capturingThe regulator's March review flagged weak debt-consolidation rationale, missed living costs, unclear fees and patchy records. Most of those are data problems, and data problems can be fixed.The Editor · 16 October 2026Regulation · ExplainedWhat introducers should keep on record under the Consumer DutyThe Duty applies to regulated firms along the distribution chain, introducers included. A short note on each referral answers most later questions.Lending Intelligence · 12 October 2026Regulation · ExplainedWhat MCOB conduct rules mean for introducers of second-charge mortgagesSecond charges moved from consumer credit rules to the mortgage rulebook in 2016. The adviser now carries suitability; the introducer's job is a fair hand-off.Lending Intelligence · 12 October 2026
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