UK finance jargon buster - dictionary of terms - (A to C)

A - C | D - F | G - K | L - Q | R - Z

Advance - total loan amount.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) - the total interest charged on a loan or mortgage.

Arrangement fee - a one-off fee paid to a mortgage lender for arranging the mortgage.

Accident, sickness and unemployment (ASU) cover - insurance taken out with a mortgage lender to cover your mortgage repayments in the event of accident, sickness or unemployment.

Annuity - where a life insurance company makes regular payments to you for the rest of your life in exchange for a cash lump sum or pension fund that you have accumulated.

Bankers' draft - a guaranteed payment arranged via a bank.

Blue-chip stocks - shares in a large company that is listed on the FTSE 100.

Booking fee - administrative fee charged by a lender on application.

Buildings insurance - cover taken out to cover costs of rebuilding or making structural repairs to your property.

Buy to let - type of mortgage taken out to buy a property that will be rented out to tenants.

Capital and interest mortgage - see repayment mortgage.

Capped rate mortgage - a variable rate mortgage where interest rates can fluctuate but can never go higher than the maximum (capped) rate.

Cashback - an amount paid back to you when you take out a loan or mortgage, either a fixed sum or a percentage of the total amount.

CCJ (County Court Judgement) - a court order taken out against a borrower who has defaulted on credit repayments.

Completion - when the sale of a property has been finalised and ownership of the house is transferred to the buyer.

Conclusion of missives - (term used in Scotland), see exchange of contracts

Contents insurance - covers the value of your possessions in the event of damage or theft.

Contracts - legal agreement between the buyer and vendor of a property.

Conveyancing - the legal process concerning the sale of a property.

Credit score - an assessment made by a lender to evaluate the level of risk you pose as a borrower.

Credit search - a search carried out by a credit reference agency to check your credit record, whether you have CCJ, a history of not paying loans or credit cards on time, etc.

See Jargon Buster D to F >>>

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Finance Jargon Buster