The number of first-time buyers reached its largest yearly total in five years, according to new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). This shows that 216,200 first-time buyers became homeowners in 2012 - the first time the annual total has exceeded 200,000 since 2007.
According to the CML, this is a year-on-year rise of 12% on 2011, when 193,000 loans were advanced.
Looking at the figures in more detail, a total of 19,100 loans were advanced to first-time buyers in December. This is a 12% drop compared to November but up by 3% on the same period in 2011. By value, loans to first-time buyers totalled £2.4 million - an 11% fall on the previous month.
The figures for the fourth quarter of 2012 as a whole also show a strengthening trend: there were 60,500 loans advanced in the last quarter of 2012, worth £7.6 billion, an 8% increase from the third quarter and up by 14% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011.
In fact, in the fourth quarter, first-time buyers accounted for 42% of all house purchase lending. This is above the 38% typically seen.