Published: 11:27AM GMT 23 Dec 2009  BBA mortgage lending for November  A total of 44,713 loans were approved for people buying a home during the month, 152pc above the low point reached in November last year, according to the British Bankers' Association.  However the group cautioned that the huge year-on-year jump reflected the weakness of the market in 2008, rather than a stronger market, although it said approvals were slightly higher than they were two years ago.  Net mortgage lending, which strips out redemptions and repayments, rose slightly to £3.3bn in November, its highest since February.  The number of loans approved for people remortgaging remained subdued. Only 22,360 remortgage loans were in the pipeline during November, two-thirds lower than in the same month of 2007.  The number of people withdrawing equity from their property is also running at around half the level seen two years ago.  Consumers continued to focus on building up their savings and paying down unsecured debt.  Credit card spending was slightly higher during November than in October at £5.8bn, but down on the level seen 12 months ago.  Demand for personal loans continued to be weak, with borrowing through loans and overdrafts contracting by £526m - the 12th month in a row during which consumers have repaid more than they borrowed.  People also increased their savings levels by £1.4bn in November, although this was down on both the previous month.  Consumers have increased their savings by more than £18bn in the first 11 months of the year, down slightly on the £21bn set aside during the same period of 2008.
UK mortgages approved for house purchase reached the highest level for two    years during November, figures showed.