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A woman walks past an estate agent's window in Edinburgh, Scotland February 19, 2009.
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LONDON - The number of home purchase loans approved by banks in October was almost double that of a year ago, a survey showed on Tuesday.
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The British Bankers' Association said 42,238 mortgage applications were approved last month. That was slightly higher than the 42,073 loans approved in September but 97.7 percent up from last year when activity ground to a halt at the height of the financial crisis.
Net mortgage lending rose by 3.1 billion pounds in October, the same as in September.
The figures chime with other surveys showing record low interest rates have helped stabilise the housing market after sharp price declines last year.
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