Mortgages taken out to buy a house reached the highest level in a decade in February, according to new figures.
There were 50,000 mortgages completed in February, the highest level for that month since 2007, according to UK Finance. This was up from 48,900 in January and 49,400 the previous year.
UK Finance is a trade body that was founded in July last year. Its figures are among the most reliable indicators of activity in the housing market, but do not include smaller, more specialist mortgage lenders.