Figures from the Central Bank show that the annual rate of borrowing growth crept up in March, though growth in mortgage lending continued to slow.
Total borrowing grew at an annual rate of 17.1%, compared with 15.6% in February. This ended an eight-month run of falls in the annual rate, though the Central Bank said lending remained subdued.
But residential mortgage lending grew at an annual rate of 11.6% in March, the lowest since May 1992. The first three months was the weakest start to a year for mortgage lending for five years, according to the Central Bank.
The annual rate of non-mortgage credit growth rose from 18.9% in February to 20.8%.
