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Help to Buy Scheme

The UK government's help to buy scheme aims to kick start the housing market by providing taxpayer-funded assistance to home-buyers. Individuals who can only afford to put down a 5% deposit on a house can receive a loan from the government for 20% of the property's value. From the start of 2014, the government will offer a taxpayer-funded guarantee to mortgage lenders who offer mortgages worth up to 95% of a property's value. The scheme has already come in for criticism and may have been behind recent rises in the property market (click here).  Many economists fear that the scheme will simply result in another credit-fueled housing bubble, which will further weaken the financial system.


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