CML estimate gross mortgage lending for April at £18.4 billion

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) yesterday 25th May 2017 published news release headlined ‘Gross mortgage lending £18.4 billion in April.’

In their market commentary released the same day they headlined the following:

Transactions continue to be driven by first-time buyers, as all other parts of the market remain weaker than this time last year.

Their estimate of gross mortgage lending for April is £18.4 billion. Accounting for seasonal factors, this figure is higher than average lending over the past year.

Remortgage activity and first-time buyers continue to drive lending growth, as buy-to-let and home mover numbers remain subdued.

The number of first-time buyers over the last 12 months has overtaken the number of home movers for the first time since 1996.

CML senior economist Mohammad Jamei said: “First-time buyers and remortgage customers appear to be buoying the market, as low mortgage rates are encouraging borrowers to remortgage and attractive government schemes are helping first-time buyers. We expect this trend to continue over the coming months.

“Home movers are having less luck. Their activity has been subdued for some time now and the low number of movers means fewer properties for sale. This supply and demand imbalance will continue to underpin house price values, even as the rate of price rises slows.”

Read both the news reports in full mortgage lending in April and market commentary May 2017

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Annual house price growth slows in June

The latest Nationwide House Price Index for June 2026 shows that: House prices fell by -0.0% between May 2026 and June 2026. Annual house price growth increased to 2.2% in June 2026, up from 1.7% in May 2026. The average UK house price for June 2026 now stands at £277,484, down slightly from £278,024 in…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index May 2026

UK annual house price growth picked up to 3.0% in April, from 2.2% in March House prices were up 0.4% month on month Headlines Apr-26 Mar-26 Monthly Index* 554.8 552.7 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.9% Annual Change 3.0% 2.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £278,880 £277,186 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 30/6/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   8% of commercial real estate investors and owners have started AI pilots – the reasons why most fail Only 5% of CRE operators achieve most of their AI program goals According to JLL’s 2025 Global Real Estate Technology Survey of more than 1,500 senior…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

What the average asking price buys across Great Britain

New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals what buyers can get for the current average asking price of a home, at approximately £378,000 The analysis shows that in some areas, buyers can find five-bedroom homes for around the national average asking price, whereas in other areas it is only a flat or studio that buyers can afford There are clear…
Read More
Breaking News

3 in 5 homes listed for sale since January are still on the market

Higher mortgage rates and political uncertainty hits housing sales with three in five homes since January still searching for a buyer   Three in five homes listed for sale since January are still on the market – with sales agreed over the last 4 weeks -7% lower than last year Buyer demand has also fallen…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals down 11% in May

The latest mortgage approval data from the Bank of England show that: –   Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 56,205 down (-14.9%) from 66,034 seen in April. Approvals are down (-10.8%) when compared to the 62,980 seen in May 2025. This annual decline was expected due to wider political and economic uncertainty;…
Read More