The number of mortgages was down 56.4% from the same period last year, and also down almost 4% from the second quarter of this year. The value of the mortgages was more than 62% lower than in the same period last year. But the figures showed that the number of mortgages issued to first-time buyers - while still well down from a year earlier - rose for the second quarter in a row. First-time buyers now account for almost 30% of the mortgage market. Mortgages for investment continue to decline, and now account for 5.7% of the market. | 
Number of mortgages issued falls again