HSBC mortgage lending up 2pc

The bank approved a total of £19.5bn to UK mortgage borrowers in 2012 of which £5bn was to first time buyers.

Over the course of the year HSBC provided loans to 177,000 borrowers including 40,500 first time buyers.

Antonio Simoes, head of HSBC in the UK, said: "Last year we continued to increase lending to both our business and individual customers, and our mortgage market share has continued to grow.

“We are committed to helping the UK economy recover by continuing to support our customers through the coming years."

In 2012 HSBC’s new approvals accounted for 13.6% of the total approvals in the UK, up from 11.6% in 2011.