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Figures have shown that the value of secured loans approved by lenders rose last month - mortgage lending in September increased by £3.6bn.

But the secured loans approvals still remain lower than they were a year ago - the total of all loans being down by over 40%. The figures don't take into account support from banks, so the low levels are unsurprising.

Unsecured loans were also found to be at a low level. The government rescue plan could help towards a rise in approvals in the future, but this is still to be seen.

On Tuedsy 8 July, Barclays announced it's closing down FirstPlus, which you can probably remember from TV commercials featuring Carol Vorderman.

The ongoing crunch has caused a massive reduction in mortgage and other lending applications. Although FirstPlus have agreed that they will continue to serve its existing 128,000 secured loans, it will stop lending to new customers as of 9 August 2008. Although this will secure 130 jobs, 300 employees are at risk.

FirstPlus isn't the first lender to exit itself from the secured loan market. It is the largest. The customers who have gone with FirstPlus usually have unhealthy credit records and struggle borrowing from mainstream lenders. This is why they go for FirstPlus and choose to pay the higher interest rates they offer.

But, despite some lenders such as FirstPlus pulling the plug, there are still loan providers out there. Just search online to find them.

You would think that people would want to shop around for the best loan for their circumstances - especially since the internet feature of being able to search online has become more and more popular. But, while 80% of British consumers look for cut price deals everyday, only a few actually seek the best deal for mortgages and secured loans.

61% of consumers said they would visit a pound shop to find the cheapest product for their needs. However, only 8% said they would shop around for the best deals on things like cars and secured loans - giving various reasons for their reluctance, including the prospect of it being too much trouble and also scepticism - many believed that their efforts, if they were to shopa round, would result not result in a better deal.

A spokesperson from Lloyds TSB, who conducted the survey, warned that if consumers continued to take this approach, they would be losing out. It just goes to show that finding the best deal on whatever product really is worth it, and can save you money.

And with the latest search online facilities, it really isn't that much trouble.