Yorkshire Bank's popular mortgage has helped push up the firm's profits in the first six months of the year.

The company, whose chief executive is John Wright, pictured, has a number of branches in Bradford.

It saw its pre-tax profits rise by 4.8 per cent to £105.3 million, compared to £100.5 million last time.

The bank, owned by the National Bank of Australia, saw its mortgage income leap by 9.8 per cent, a 21 per cent increase from last March.

The National Bank has branches in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA and also owns the Clydesdale Bank. A spokesman refused to comment on speculation that the bank was looking to sell the Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks and pointed to the results as evidence of two strong businesses.

Chief operating officer Frank Cicutto said they expected a mild recovery in Britain this year, along with a similar recovery in New Zealand. But he expected mixed growth in Australia and the US.

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