The number of mortgages approved for house purchases last month was down 4.3% compared with a year earlier as economists warn that there was still a stand-off between buyers and sellers.
High street banks approved 39,244 mortgages in May, figures from UK Finance, the trade association for banks and building societies, showed.
This was a rise from 38,327 in April and the highest level in four months, but it was down from 47,352 a year ago.
