Mortgage lending rose by 23 per cent in June, further bolstering hopes of an upturn in the battered British housing sector. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said that the number of loans made to homebuyers hit an eleven-month high of 45,000 in June up from 36,500 in May. The value of loans made surged 26 per cent on May, to £5.9 billion. Paul Samter, economist at the CML, said there had been a "welcome increase in transactions" helped by low interest rates and "realistic" selling prices.
Mortgage lending hits 11-month high in June - Times Online Heathrow gets busier as July defies downturn
Heathrow, the world’s busiest international airport, enjoyed its third busiest month on record during July, providing hope that demand for air travel is recovering. BAA, the airports operator owned by Ferrovial, the Spanish infrastructure group, said that Heathrow had handled 6.5 million passengers in July, an increase of 0.9 per cent on the same month last year. The rise in passenger traffic came despite a 3 per cent fall in the number of flights from the airport. A BAA spokesman said that aircraft were taking off with fewer empty seats because of fare reductions and because poor weather had encouraged people to take holidays abroad.
Heathrow gets busier as July defies downturn - Times Online Awaiting www upbeat response
