The number of mortgage approvals for house purchasers has risen to its highest level for 18 months. The Bank of England said there were 115,000 new approvals for mortgages in November, up from 113,000 in the previous month and the highest total since April 2004. The total value of approved loans rose to £28.2 billion, from £27.6 billion in October. Geoffrey Dicks, an analyst at RBS Capital Markets, said: “Every month’s data reinforce the message that activity in the housing market is at, if not above, normal levels and that the momentum is coming from new house purchase.” Guardian, Times