Lending to residential property investors picked up strongly in February, reversing the trend of recent months. According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics housing finance figures, the value of new mortgage lending to investors rose 4.1 per cent in February, compared with the previous month (in seasonally adjusted terms).The value of new lending to owner-occupiers rose 1.7 per cent in February, compared with the previous month.Overall, the value of mortgage lending rose 2.6 per cent in February. Total mortgage lending for the month was A$32.8 billion - an increase of six per cent over the value of new lending in February last year.The ABS advised caution in interpreting the data. It said: "Market reactions to regulatory measures implemented by APRA in 2015 has resulted in increased volatility in some of the seasonally adjusted estimates, particularly the value of finance commitments for owner-occupied housing and investor housing. "Care should be in interpreting the movements for this reference period, as the seasonally adjusted estimates may be revised in future periods."In addition, some banks have been reclassifying housing loans that originated as investment loans to owner-occupied."The average loan size was $357,200 - down from $372,400 the previous month.