Saffron chief executive Jon Hall said the growth was an achievement, given the economic backdrop, and the building society aimed to further develop its products and services in the year ahead.

He said: “We have maintained our focus on providing mortgages for borrowers who, despite being perfectly creditworthy, find themselves in situations where there is a challenge in securing suitable products from other high street lenders.

“Our most popular products include mortgages for prime borrowers with individual requirements including first-time buyers, landlords, self-builders and borrowers requiring bridging finance.”

Gross lending volumes for 2013 were anticipated to be broadly in line with 2012 results, he said.