Remortgage lending in December rose to £4.16bn, up 43.5% from the same time last year and up 1.5% from November.
The latest figures from LMS reveal that monthly gross remortgage lending increased by £61m in December, to £4.16bn.
The CML has also reported that total gross mortgage lending held steady at £17.0bn in December.
As a result, remortgages represent 24% of the total market. LMS estimates that the total number of remortgage loans remained relatively constant in December, only dropping by 0.1% to 27,462, compared with 27,500 in November.
This figure is up by 25.4% from this time last year, when there were only 21,900 remortgage customers recorded.
Andy Knee, Chief Executive, LMS said: “The past twelve months has seen a remarkable upswing in the remortgage market. While the overall mortgage marketplace remained steady in December, remortgaging has leapfrogged ahead with sustained positive growth.
“Remortgage lending is now 44% higher than the same time last year and has again resisted a seasonal dip by rising 1.5% from November.
“Even during the hectic festive season, customers continued to be coaxed in by the competitive rates on offer. These enticing deals have led to borrowers remortgaging at the most frequent rate for over four years.
“Our latest customer survey suggests that nearly four in ten (39%) were able to reduce their monthly payments in December, some by as much as £500.
“Looking ahead into 2014, all the signposts are pointing upwards with lending levels likely to rise in the immediate future. However slightly further down the line we may see this level out somewhat, as new regulations come into full effect in the spring.”
