First time buyers avoid stamp duty <> One third of first time buyers escaped paying stamp duty in September as a result of the Government's temporary £175,000 nil-rate threshold, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML)... <> Insurers at the fore as Footsie pushes towards 5,300 level <> Insurers were among the top performers yesterday as the FTSE 100 tested its highs of the year. ..   more »