Mortgages, wealth, banking and students

The fixed interest rate of mortgages could fall to less than 1 per cent next year if the Bank of England cuts the base rate again, in a move that would give the housing market a boost, The Guardian reports. Rates on two-year, fixed-rate mortgages – already at record lows – could fall even further because of tough competition among lenders to attract new customers, according to leading City analysts. Super-cheap home loans could give the market a boost after the vote for Brexit, which forced Threadneedle Street to cut rates to 0.25 per cent in August. This was the first rate-cut for more than seven years and economists expect the Bank to cut the base rate again – to just 0.1 per cent, possibly in November. According to analysts at Bernstein, which is based in the City, another rate cut from the Bank of England would drive standard two-year fixed-rate mortgages to 1.1