Mortgage approvals fall in April

The increase in total net lending to individuals in April (£7.3 billion) was below the increase in March and the previous six-month average, according to latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE).

The twelve-month growth rate slowed to 8.4%, and the three-month annualised growth rate slowed by 0.3 percentage points to 7.1%.

Within the total, the increase in net lending secured on dwellings (£6.4 billion) was below the increase in March and the previous six-month average. The twelve-month growth rate slowed further, to 8.7%. The three-month annualised growth rate also slowed, by 0.4 percentage points to 7.0%. The numbers of loans approved for house purchase (58,000) and other purposes (52,000) were lower than in March but those for remortgaging (106,000) were higher than in March.

The increase in net consumer credit in April (£0.9 billion) was below that in March and below the previous six-month average. Net credit card lending rose by £0.1 billion, below the increase in March. Net other loans and advances increased by £0.9 billion, higher than the March increase. The annual growth rate of consumer credit rose by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%; the three-month annualised growth rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 7.7%.