CHL lending increases by half

Measuring from January to December 2007, CHL's lending hit £2,208 million compared to £1,468 million over the same period in 2006.

This gives CHL a 0.61 per cent share of the market based on the Council of Mortgage Lenders' (CML's) estimated overall figure of £362,314 million worth of lending in 2007 - increasing its percentage share by a massive 42 per cent from just 0.43 per cent in 2006.

Bob Young, managing director at CHL Mortgages, said: “While other lenders were hit by the obvious funding issues that the credit crunch has brought, CHL finished the year strongly with £186 million of lending in December.

“We are an intermediary-focused lender working with advisers and their clients to deliver top-quality products and services. Our product range has already expanded with the addition of commercial lending last year and we are already experiencing growing demand for the CHL offering."

He added that CHL's ability to keep its arrears flat, bucking a rising trend in the market, reinforced its commitment to responsible lending and overall credit quality.