- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
Latest mortgage market reforms revealed
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has revealed the latest proposals of its Mortgage Market Review in a bid to prevent a return to the risky mortgage lending seen during the boom.
A consultation on the proposals laid out in the review is open until 30 March 2012. The proposed measures are designed to ensure that prospective buyers get the right advice and information at the right time, and to ensure that lenders check whether borrowers can afford the repayments they are signing up to.
The original proposals have been amended following feedback from lenders, consumer groups and other stakeholders, and this latest round are now open to opinion. There are three principals at the core of the proposals, which are:
- Lenders must assess affordability - no more self-assessment mortgages
- Any assessment should account for future interest rate increases
- Interest-only mortgages should be assessed on a repayment basis.
Commenting on the proposals, Lord Turner, chairman of the FSA said: "We believe that these are common sense proposals which serve the interests of both lenders and borrowers. While the excesses of the pre-crisis period have largely disappeared from the current market, it is important to ensure that better practice endures in future when memories of the crisis recede and the dangers of poor practice return.
"The three key proposals are, we believe, the most effective way to tackle the problem of risky lending. But it is essential that we understand what their impact would be - how many consumers would be protected from the distress of arrears and repossessions, and, how many consumers who could have afforded a mortgage might have to take out a smaller mortgage or to delay their purchase.
"The estimates are inherently uncertain, but they suggest that the new rules would have only a marginal effect in current market conditions - and particularly so for first time buyers - but would act as a significant constraint if market practice were in danger of returning to the 2005 to 2007 pattern. That pattern of effect would be a highly desirable one. We are however particularly keen that lenders provide their detailed assessment of the likely impact of these proposed rules. Then the FSA will be able to make appropriate final decisions."
Welcoming the revised proposals, director general at the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML), Paul Smee said: "Lending needs to be responsible and done in a way which protects consumers. Rules need to be practical and avoid unintended consequences. Whilst there is much detail to be pored over, the FSA's new proposals seem to strike broadly the right balance. If lenders are to make their contribution to improving the supply of housing and to the wider agenda for economic growth, then they need a regulatory framework which also supports that objective."