Gross mortgage lending rose 24% in March, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Lending climbed from £9.3 billion in February to £11.5 billion in March, CML found. But gross lending for the first quarter of 2010 was 24% down on the last quarter of 2009 and now stands at £29.5 billion. This is the lowest quarterly lending total since the first three months of 2000. “Overall, housing and mortgage activity remains subdued, but is comfortably higher than in the depths of the recession a year ago,” said CML’s economist Paul Samter. “Despite the increase in activity late last year and a subsequent fall early this year – due to the end of the stamp duty holiday – the underlying position looks to have barely changed.” <br>