Gross mortgage lending across the residential market in September was £21.5bn, some 1.2 per cent lower than last September.

The number of mortgages approved by the main high street banks in September was 9.1 per cent lower than last September; approvals for house purchase were 10.1 per cent lower, remortgage approvals were 7.4 per cent lower and approvals for other secured borrowing were 9.8 per cent lower.

The £10.0bn of credit card spending in September was 3.4 per cent higher than last September. Over the past twelve months, the outstanding level of credit card borrowing grew by 5.7 per cent. Personal borrowing through loans and overdrafts grew by 2.3 per cent in the year to September, although it has seen a net contraction in the last two months.

Personal deposits in total grew by 0.9 per cent over the past twelve months. A consumer preference to hold cash for immediate use is reflected in instant access deposit levels being 3.1 per cent higher than last September.