The company said it has been a record start to 2012 with lending up by 9% more than a year previously and the highest quarterly amount it has ever approved.
Of this figure, £1.2 billion was approved for first time buyers, an annual increase of 18% and an average of £93 million per week or £19 million per day. This means that HSBC has agreed to help over 10,000 borrowers take their first steps onto the property ladder, an average of 780 first time buyers per week or 160 per day in the first three months of the year.
Earlier this year HSBC confirmed it would be making at least £15 billion in mortgages available to UK homeowners in 2012, including £3 billion specifically set aside for first time buyers.
‘We continue to offer UK borrowers some of the most competitive rates around and we remain open for business. Earlier this year we committed to make at least £15 billion available and our first three months of the year show that we are already well on our way to achieving this target,’ said Peter Dockar, head of mortgages at HSBC.
