Monday, 16 November 2015

Osborne Reveals Record Sale Of Public Housing Debt To Private Investors

George Osborne has announced the sale of £13bn of mortgage debt to private investors, in what is said to be the largest ever sale of financial assets by any European government. In a separate development, the Financial Times has reported that Osborne is considering selling off around £44bn of historic housing association debt. This inevitably prompted a flurry of alarm across the housing industry, with many calling it the privatisation of social housing assets. The Treasury announced that the Chancellor has authorised the sale of the mortgages, which were acquired by the Government during the financial crisis from Northern Rock, the mortgage assets are being sold to capital management firm, Cerberus.  According to the Treasury, the mortgage portfolio is being sold for £280 million more than their “book value”. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

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