UK banks approve fewest mortgages since January 2015, consumer credit growth strong

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of mortgages approved by British banks fell to its lowest in a year in the month following Britain's vote to leave the European Union, but robust credit growth added to signs that the decision has had little impact on consumers so far.

British banks approved 37,662 mortgages for house purchases last month, down from 39,763 in June and 19 percent lower than in July 2015, the British Bankers' Association said.

Net credit card lending rose in July by 291 million pounds after a 283 million pound increase in June, a 20 percent increase on the same time a year ago.

Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23 - a decision economists said could tip the economy into recession but which has so far had a tamer immediate impact on consumers than many had predicted.

"Consumers were clearly prepared to continue borrowing on their credit cards and spend in July despite confidence slumping in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote," Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight said.

The BBA data chimed with strong retail sales data last week that showed the Brexit shock had little immediate impact on consumer spending, but analysts fear it might only be a matter of time before it deteriorates.

"We suspect that the fundamentals for consumers will become less favourable over the coming months with purchasing power likely diminishing and the labour market softening," Archer said.

The BBA figures do not include lending by mutually owned building societies, which accounts for around third of mortgages. The next release of the more comprehensive Bank of England lending data is next Tuesday.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, Writing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by Alison Williams)