Mortgage arrears and possessions continued to fall in the second quarter of 2014, according to data published today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The number of mortgages in arrears of 2.5% or more of the balance stood at 131,400 (1.18% of all mortgages) at the end of June, down from 138,200 (1.24%) three months earlier and 154,900 (1.38%) a year ago. There was a fall in numbers across all arrears bands, and the overall total is now at its lowest since the first quarter of 2008.

A total of 5,400 properties (representing 0.05% of all loans) were taken into possession in the second quarter, down from 6,400 in the preceding quarter and 7,600 a year ago. At 11,800, the number of cases of possession in the first half of this year was at its lowest since the second half of 2006.

The totals reported today include arrears and possessions in the buy-to-let sector, which also continued to decline. The number of buy-to-let mortgages in arrears of three months or more (including cases in which a receiver of rent had been appointed) stood at 13,400 at the end of June, down from 14,700 three months earlier and 17,900 a year ago. In the second quarter, 1,300 buy-to-let properties were taken into possession, compared to 1,400 in the previous quarter and a year ago.