Mortgage lending activity was up once again in the period between April and June, according to figures from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI).

Some 6,803 new mortgages were drawn down in the year's second quarter, to the value of €1.29 billion.

This represented a 24.9% volume increase and 28.8% value increase when compared to the first quarter.

Stacked up against the same period in 2015, it was an 11.2% increase in volume and 17.9% in value.

First-time buyers accounted for almost half of the market, representing 48.% in volume and 46.9% in value.

On a year-to-date basis purchase mortgage drawdowns fell 1.4% by volume and rose 4.9% by value in the first half of 2016.