The number of mortgages taken out by people buying a home rose by 4 per cent during February, figures showed today.
A total of 24,300 loans for house purchase were advanced during the month, up from 23,400 in January, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said.
But it warned that activity still remained very weak by historical standards, with mortgages taken out by people buying a home running at only around a third of the average total for February of 76,000 seen between 2002 and 2007.