(Alliance News) - UK net mortgage approvals unexpectedly increased in March, the Bank of England reported on Friday.
Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased to 63,500 in March from 62,700 in February, ahead of the FXStreet-cited consensus for a fall to 60,000.
March's figure was above an average of around 63,200 for the previous six months.
The annual growth rate for net mortgage lending decreased to 3.0% in March from 3.4% in February.
Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals rose to GBP6.2 billion in March from GBP5.2 billion in February, and above the previous six-month average of GBP4.9 billion.
The "effective" interest rate on newly drawn mortgages decreased to 4.03% in March from 4.10% in February.
Consumer credit net borrowing by individuals slightly decreased to GBP1.9 billion in March from GBP2.0 billion in February, but was higher than the previous six-month average of GBP1.8 billion.
Within this, net borrowing through credit cards remained unchanged from February at GBP700 million.
The net flow of sterling money, known as M4ex, increased to GBP22.1 billion in March from GBP14.2 billion in February.
The flow of sterling net lending to private sector companies and households, or M4Lex, increased to GBP20.8 billion in March following a GBP2.8 billion fall in February.
By Michael Hennessey, Alliance News reporter
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