Mortgage lending in Britain rose by £8.7 billion in November, exceeding analysts' predictions of £7.9 billion.
This follows a £7.7 billion rise during the month of October, indicating that the British house market is improving. According to the Bank of England, mortgage approvals have hit a one and a half year high.
However, unsecured lending during November rose by the smallest amount on nearly five years, with British consumers increasing credit by only £927 million. This falls far short of the predicted £1.3 billion increase and the £1.21 billion growth recorded in October.