Bank Lending Survey (BLS) – Q1 2016
19/04/2016 - Press Releases
Bank Lending Survey (BLS) (1, 2) – Q1 2016
Loans to non-financial corporations
In the first quarter of 2016, credit standards for loans to non-financial corporations (NFCs) remained broadly unchanged (see Chart 1) compared with the fourth quarter of 2015, in line with expectations expressed in the previous survey round. Banks expect that credit standards will remain unchanged in the second quarter of 2016.
The terms and conditions for loans to NFCs remained also unchanged in the first quarter of 2016.
The demand for loans by NFCs remained broadly unchanged in the first quarter of 2016 (see Chart 2), despite a small increase in the demand for loans by SMEs. It should be noted that in the previous survey banks had expressed positive expectations regarding the demand for loans, which however did not materialize. The demand for corporate loans is expected to improve slightly in the second quarter of 2016.
Loans to households
In the first quarter of 2016, credit standards for loans to households remained basically unchanged (see Chart 1) compared with the fourth quarter of 2015, in line with expectations expressed in the previous survey round. As regards the expectations for the second quarter of 2016, credit standards for all loans to households are expected to remain unchanged.
The terms and conditions for loans to households remained also unchanged in the first quarter of 2016.
The demand for housing loans increased somewhat (see Chart 2) in the first quarter of 2016, in line with expectations expressed in the previous survey round, whilst for consumer credit, the demand remained broadly unchanged. The demand for loans to households is expected to remain unchanged in the second quarter of 2016.
Chart 1
Credit Standards (Average)
Chart 2
Demand (Average)
(1) For more information on the Bank Lending Survey , see
http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/Statistics/monetary/BankLendingSurvey.aspx.
(2) Information regarding the BLS methodology is available at: http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/Statistics/monetary/BankLendMeth.aspx.