SOCIETY ESTABLISHES NEW MORTGAGE RECORD - 2004-03-23
A Barrow based building society has racked up a record £23.75m of mortgage applications in one month.

The Furness Building Society, which celebrated its best ever year in 2003 because of the house price boom, says mortgage applications hit new heights in February.

The society’s previous record was £20m.
Read the full story at North-West Evening Mail

Bank of England's Large Says Debt Gain a Risk to U.K. - 2004-03-23
Bank of England Deputy Governor Sir Andrew Large said he voted for a rate hike in five of the past six months because he's worried consumers are taking on too much debt, making the economy vulnerable to ``shocks.''

House prices rose 15 percent last year and 25 percent in 2002, the most since 1989, according to HBOS Plc, the nation's biggest mortgage lender. Last month, the bank said the gains were ``unsustainable.''
Read the full story at Bloomberg.com