Net mortgage approvals for UK house purchases, a key gauge of future borrowing, fell to 56,100 in July 2026 from a revised 58,200 in June, below market expectations of 59,400. Approvals dropped to their lowest level since January 2024 and remained well below the previous six-month average of around 60,800, pointing to continued pressure from elevated borrowing costs. Meanwhile, approvals for remortgaging with a different lender edged up to 34,500 from 34,100. The effective interest rate on newly drawn mortgages rose to 4.45% in July from 4.35% in June, while the rate on the outstanding mortgage stock increased slightly to 3.97% from 3.96%.