Gross mortgage lending up 5% in October
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October gross mortgage lending was an estimated £13.5bn, a 5% rise from £12.9bn in September but down 27% on £18.5bn in October 2008, show the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
The CML predicts the annual comparison should start to improve a little in the coming months as underlying lending volumes dropped sharply in the latter part of 2008 and early 2009.
The October outcome is in line with its updated forecast for gross lending of around £141bn for 2009 as a whole and it expects some seasonal slowdown over the remainder of this year.
Paul Samter, economist at the CML, says: “There has been a significant change in the type of lending taking place from the start of the year. House purchase activity has picked up significantly. In contrast, remortgaging has dropped to decade-low levels as many borrowers have little incentive to refinance when they move onto low reversion rates, and others find themselves unable to do so due to equity constraints.
“The coming months are likely to be dominated by seasonal factors rather than underlying change.”
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