House prices fell at their fastest annual rate in more than a year in February, and worries about the country's recovery are likely to keep prices under pressure, mortgage lender Halifax said last Friday. Halifax said house prices fell 0.9% in February, more than offsetting a rise of 0.8% in January. Prices fell 2.8% in the three months to February compared with a year ago, the fastest annual pace since October 2009. February's monthly drop was twice as big as forecast by analysts, and contrasts with a survey from rival lender Nationwide earlier last week, which showed house prices rose 0.3% on the month. Halifax said it expects house prices in 2011 as a whole to fall by around 2%, as uncertainty about the economic outlook weighs on housing demand. Most economists reckon house prices will dip this year as tight credit conditions and a weak economic recovery deter homebuyers. Official data earlier last week showed mortgage approvals are running at just half their long run average, implying that house prices have limited room for growth. But uncertainty about the housing market is also discouraging people from putting their homes up for sale, which should prevent a sharp downturn in prices, Halifax said.