Mortgage lending edged back up in February after a sharp fall in January that followed the end of a stamp duty holiday, new figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) show.

An estimated £9.2bn was lent during the month, a rise of 6% from January, the CML said.

The stamp duty threshold on house purchases reverted back to £125,000 on January 1, having been raised to £175,000 for 2009. The change brought about a rush of house-buying activity in December, followed by a lull in January.

Lending in February was still down by 6% from £9.7bn a year earlier, the CML said, though the first two months of the year are in line with its forecast for £150bn in lending for 2010 as a whole.

'As we look forward, we expect emerging signs of improvement as confidence in the economy grows and we move past the election,' said CML economist Paul Samter.

'However, the need for the authorities to address fiscal deficit will inevitably slow the economy.'

Related share prices