The outlook for the mortgage market is still grim, according to figures out today from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. They reveal that gross mortgage lending has now fallen a staggering 51% from November last year and 22% on October.

While there is typically a decline from October to November, this is considerably larger than usual, says the CML. This reflects the market disruption and continued deterioration of confidence in the economy.

The CML is today also publishing mortgage market forecasts for 2009, but cautions that, in the current challenging environment, the forecasts need to be seen as indicative rather than as a precise assessment of likely activity.

Peter Marsh, chief executive of the Tenant Services Authority, told the Communities and Local Government Select Committee that the six associations were facing "more risks than usual … they are not in intensive care, however, they are subject to more regulatory scrutiny than normal."

On Saturday 13 December, two of the CashQuestions trio attended a signing of the website’s new money-saving book, aptly entitled 100 Ways to Beat the Credit Crunch. The signing was held in the St Albans branch of Waterstones in Hertfordshire, where Annie and Laura are both local residents.

An overwhelming majority of property buyers believe that 2009 will be another bumpy year for the property market.

An online poll of property buyers' views found that 88% of them feel that property prices will fall overall in 2009, while 79% think  that transaction levels will either stagnate at the same levels as this year, or fall significantly.

Cuts in interest rates are failing to bring mortgage costs down significantly for new loan deals, with the rate on new tracker deals falling by less than a percentage point.

After a third attempt by the Bank of England to kick-start the economy by slashing base rates, enthusiasm for cheaper lending among banks and building societies has been notable by its absence.