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A round-up of the biggest director deals today so far.

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Chances dimmed that a last-minute plan being crafted by Republican U.S. senators, with White House support, to provide $25 billion to bail out U.S. automakers would receive enough backing from Democrats to pass before the end of this week.

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As times get tougher, crime is certainly going to rise - so those with erratic incomes cannot risk losing out without insurance.

Analysis from Abbey Home Insurance shows that during the last recession, between 1990 and 1992, figures for the number of domestic burglaries recorded by police in England and Wales rose by 33.8%, while the British Crime Survey also recorded a similar trend.

Thierry Campet, sales and marketing director at Abbey Insurance says: "When household budgets tighten and families look to cut back on financial expenditure there are the usual outgoings that people feel they can cut back on. Wrongly, many people believe home insurance is one of these. However during these times, protection is increasingly important and should not be overlooked.”

This couldn’t be a more true statement, especially for those who may rely on commission or bonuses that might not be earned in these tougher times. The last thing a self certified person needs is the extra costs of stolen goods and damaged property that could come about after a break-in.

And insurance needn’t be costly. There is no point assuming it will never happen, because it always might. Don’t let a lack of insurance lead to even more bills for you and your family.

Keep up with the latest news and comments on Self Employed Mortgages at the Self Cert Mortgage Blog

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Last week the Government promised make sure that more is lent to small business as it created a monitoring body.

Business secretary Peter Mandelson announced the creation of a new panel to monitor how banks are lending to small businesses. It will make sure that all is being done to help small business and the self employed get loans and mortgages, regardless of rates and the state of the economy.
The five major high street banks – HSBC, HBOS, Lloyds TSB, Barclays and RBS - reached an agreement with the government to provide data on the availability, risk and overall cost of lending to small and medium sized businesses at the first meeting of the Small Business Finance Forum.

This is great news for those who are considering a self cert mortgage and are self employed owners of small businesses. With the launch of this panel, you can be sure the Government will be doing all it can to urge its subidised banks to use some of the taxpayers bailout to fund business mortgages, self cert mortgages, secured loans and overdrafts.

Of course, this does not mean you will automatically get a self cert deal – the banks will still need to see that you are a safe bet and a low risk candidate.

Keep up with the latest news and comments on Self Employed Mortgages at the Self Cert Mortgage Blog

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Despite management putting a brave face on things at Monday's investor day gathering, JP Morgan has not been dissuaded from its view that Legal and General is the UK insurer most likely to issue a profit warning.

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More and more people may becoming self-employed, as the UK braces itself for more redundancies and a severe tightening of the economy.

British Chambers of Commerce says a severe downturn is unavoidable and the recession in the UK will be "painful and prolonged".

The group has revealed over the weekend that a sharp rise in unemployment to almost three million is very probable – this would almost certainly mean the mortgage lenders would have to consider producing more self cert mortgages – that are affordable too. Right now there are very few self cert deals on the market, but demand always helps supply so things may change in the coming months.

The Government has made two pledges in recent weeks – to business owners and to homeowners – which means if any promises are kept, the self cert borrower should benefit.

The lobby group expects the government to introduce a significant fiscal stimulus package of between £12bn and £18bn before the end of the year – which will help the four million or more small businesses in the UK. This could mean more money and more opportunities for those who run and manage their own businesses during the tough times.

Keep up with the latest news and comments on Self Employed Mortgages at the Self Cert Mortgage Blog

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A third of Britain's working population would lose their homes within three months without their main form of income, a survey revealed today.

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Increasingly desperate sellers slashed asking prices for homes in England and Wales by 2.9 percent in November, pushing them 7.1 percent below their level a year ago, a survey showed on Monday.

Japan joins Europe in recession; G20 fails to cheer
Japan sank into recession in the third quarter, even before it felt the full force of the financial crisis, and world leaders at a weekend summit gave investors little hope they could rescue the global economy.

Goldman Sachs CEO, six leaders give up 2008 bonuses (AFP via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and six company leaders have renounced their 2008 bonuses, a company spokesman said Sunday.

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- Here is a chronology of the global financial crisis since October:

CORRECTED-LSE chief Furse's defensive mettle may pro (Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Clara Furse has proved her mettle at the helm of the centuries-old stock market by seeing off a series of suitors, but tough markets are a different challenge just as she prepares to step down.

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The White House on Friday said it was carefully reviewing a plan by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to prevent foreclosures by sharing any losses with mortgage companies that agree to refinance certain home loans.

Bradford and Bingley Bosses Quit
The chairman and deputy chairman of nationalised mortgage bank Bradford and Bingley have quit.

FDIC lays out broad home loan modification plan (Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
The federal agency that insures most U.S. bank deposits unveiled a plan to prevent about 1.5 million home mortgage foreclosures by promising to share any losses with mortgage companies that agree to refinance certain home loans.