Specialist lender Paragon Bank has reported a 4.7% growth in its mortgages loan book in the year to September 2023, benefitting from good customer retention and strong levels of new lending. The lender said its mortgages loan book at the end of its full-year period stood at £12.9 billion, compared to £12.3 billion at the same point last year. Overall, Paragon Banking Group reported a record underlying operating profit of £277.6 million for the period, up 25.4% on last year.