UK mortgage approvals pick up from 19-month low - BBA

British banks approved more mortgages last month after the number of approvals fell to a 19-month low in August, while consumer lending grew at its fastest rate in nearly a decade, industry figures showed on Wednesday. The British Bankers' Association said its members approved 38,252 mortgages for house purchase in September, down 15 percent on a year earlier but up from 37,241 in August, which was the lowest level since January 2015. "Mortgage approvals picked up slightly this month but the hou