Mortgage approvals fall as lending rises to £4.2bn

Latest Bank of England data has found that the number of mortgage approvals fell to 66,200 in January, a decrease of around 300 from December. However, net mortgage lending rose by 27% to £4.2 billion – the highest since September 2022. The mortgage market remained busy in January, largely due to first-time buyers squeezing deals…

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Buy-to-let market lending increased in Q3

23rd January 2025 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

Latest data from UK Finance has found that in Quarter 3 (Q3) in 2024 there were 48,862 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £8.6 billion. This was up 6.5 per cent by number (8.9 per cent by value) compared with the same quarter in the previous year. The average gross buy-to-let rental yield…

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Mortgage lending forecasted to rise by 11% in 2025

17th December 2024 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

UK Finance has predicted that mortgage lending is set to rise by 11% in 2025 UK Finance says that with rate and cost pressures continuing to ease, the outlook for 2025 is for a gradual improvement in mortgage affordability, feeding into market growth. As interest rates tick down, we expect arrears to continue to fall,…

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Third of consumers expect borrowing costs to increase

A third of the consumers expect the cost of borrowing (around 33%) of consumers say interest rates to climb over the next 12 months, according to the latest Bank of England inflation attitudes survey, this up from 29% in August the last time the poll was taken. The data also found that 45% of the…

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Mortgage balances rise by £11.7bn

29th November 2024 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

Latest data from the Building Societies Association (BSA) has shown that mortgage balances, in the sector, grew by £11.7 billion, accounting for 72% of the mortgage market growth during the period. This follows 2023 where building societies were responsible for all the growth in the mortgage market, as overall mortgage balances at other lenders reduced…

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Mortgage lending increases 19%

5th September 2024 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

UK Finance has released its latest Household Finance Review for Q2 2024 which highlighted that mortgage borrowing in Quarter 2 (Q2) had increased by 19% for first-time buyers (FTBs) and 15%have for movers when compared with the same period last year. The rise was driven by the spike in mortgage applications we saw late last…

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Mortgage borrowing rises to highest level since October 2022

Latest data from the Bank of England showed that individuals borrowed a net £2.4 billion on mortgages in April, a significant increase from the previous month’s £500 million. The surge in mortgage borrowing, the highest since October 2022, indicates that prospective homebuyers rushed to secure lower interest rates. The data suggests that the drag on…

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Building societies mortgage lending hits £31.3bn

Building Societies gross mortgage lending hit £31.3 billion in six months to March 2024, a 30% market share of all lending according to latest Building Societies Association data. Building Societies’ mortgage balances grew in the six months between October 2023 and March 2024, when they had declined across the rest of the market. At the…

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Mortgage lending set to double in 2025

Mortgage lending growth is set to more than double in 2025, according to analysis by the EY Item Club. While the analysis predicts that lending will climb by just 1.5% this year, it anticipates growth of 3.2% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, with this expected to be driven by falling inflation and lower interest…

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Mortgage approvals hit 17-month high

Figures from the Bank of England show UK mortgage approvals hit their highest level in 17 months in February, rising to 60,400 from 56,100 in January. The volume of mortgage lending rose to £1.5 billion in February from £1.1 billion at the start of the year. Net approvals for remortgaging also increased, from 30,900 to…

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Mortgage lending demand set to rise in 2024 and 2025

20th February 2024 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

Despite mortgage lending growth falling -0.1% (net) in 2023, demand for housing loans is expected to rebound this year, buoyed by the prospect of falling interest rates according to predictions by the EY ITEM Club. It alsop predicts that the Bank of England will cut its policy rate from 5.25% to 4% by the end…

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Older borrowers ditch mortgages as equity release rates rise

20th February 2024 Consumer Lending | #mortgage lending

Latest figures from UK Finance has found that the number of retired people with mortgages has decreased by 30.56% in the past year. The data showed that there were 29,060 new mortgages taken out by older borrowers (over 55) in the last three months of 2023 – down 37.1% in a year. The value of…

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Consumer borrowing fell sharply in December

Latest Bank of England (BoE) data has shown that consumer borrowing dropped sharply in December, suggesting the UK economy probably slipped into recession at the end of last year. Consumer borrowing fell from £2.1bn to £1.2bn, with credit card borrowing experiencing a steep decline. Consumers repaid, on net, £800 million of mortgage debt in December compared…

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