Mortgage lending on the up - data
The newest figures reveal mortgage lending rose to its highest level since December last month, with a 17% hike in advances.
A total of £12.3 billion was lent during June thanks to a seasonal pick-up in house-buying activity, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said.
Its latest statistics show gross mortgage lending at an estimated £33.3 billion for the second quarter, but this is unchanged from the first three months of the year, which saw the lowest quarterly reading since early 2001.
The CML said lending levels were likely to rise moderately throughout the rest of the summer. But it warned the clampdown among lenders is ongoing and will hold back any significant improvements. CML stuck to its annual forecast for £145 billion in gross mortgage advances.
While June's estimated lending figure confirms recent surveys showing signs of better property market conditions, it also reveals the marked change in the sector since last autumn's financial crisis.
Lending in June was 48% below the £24.8 billion handed out last June, the CML said.
Paul Samter, a CML economist, said: "The combined effects of the restricted nature of mortgage funding, reduced number of active lenders, weak labour market and limited consumer demand are likely to hold back any significant and underlying improvement."
However, further new figures from property website Rightmove suggest heavy house price falls may be behind the market.
Its figures for the month to July 12 show asking prices rose by 0.6% to an average of £227,864, marking the fifth monthly rise this year.
Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight, said the CML data boosts hopes that buyer interest has picked up and property prices have bottomed out.
He added: "Much will clearly depend on whether the economy can sustain its recent overall improvement or suffers a renewed dip in activity, how much further unemployment rises, how quickly and to what extent credit conditions ease, and how many properties come on to the market over the coming months."
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