House purchase lending showed a modest increase in June, with 47,500 loans worth £7.1bn advanced (an increase on the preceding month of 2% by volume and 1% by value).
Year-on-year, lending for house purchase was flat (down 1% by volume but up 1% by value).
Borrowers took out 23,400 remortgaging loans worth £3.1bn (21% lower by volume and 18% lower by value than in May, and down year-on-year 25% by volume and 18% by value).
Lending to first-time buyers during the month was at its highest since July 2010 - with the exception of March this year, when first-time buyer activity was boosted by the stamp duty concession.
The return to a more normal pattern of activity continued with half of buyers in this group purchasing properties priced between £125,000 and £250,000.
Loans taken out by movers in June totalled 28,200, worth £4.7bn - around 3% lower by number than in May and in June last year.
In the second quarter movers took out 79,900 loans, 13% more than in the first three months of the year (71,000).
Activity by movers was the main driver of a 6% increase in the number of loans for house purchase in the second quarter, with first-time buyer numbers in the first half of the year fluctuating as a result of the stamp duty changes.
CML director general Paul Smee said: "Lending figures have see-sawed in the first half of the year, and we may see more fluctuations in the coming months as the effects of the Olympics and other special events in the UK this year are reflected in our lending numbers.
“Within that broader context, first-time buyer activity is showing some signs of resilience as we move away from the obvious effects of the stamp duty concession, a trend that it would be good to see maintained."
Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said it is encouraging that this sector is showing some resilience but many first-time buyers will inevitably be relying on their parents to help with a deposit.
And he added: “Those who don't have this assistance will have to wait to see whether the Funding for Lending scheme delivers better rates on higher LTV bands.
“The contraction seen in the number of people remortgaging is expected to change in coming months on the back of some rock-bottom 5-year fixes which lenders are hoping will entice borrowers.
“It looks as though borrowers have been sitting on their lenders’ standard variable rate and waiting for cheaper remortgage deals to come along, which are starting to filter through.”
