Bank Lending Survey (BLS): Q3 2019
22/10/2019 - Press Releases
Loans to non-financial corporations
In the third quarter of 2019, the overall credit standards for loans to non-financial corporations (NFCs) remained unchanged (see Chart 1) compared with the second quarter of 2019, in line with the expectations expressed in the previous quarterly survey round. Moreover, banks expect that the overall credit standards will in general remain unchanged during the fourth quarter of 2019.
The terms and conditions for loans to NFCs remained overall unchanged, although banks’ loan margins on ordinary loans were somewhat eased.
Demand for loans to NFCs remained almost unchanged compared to the previous quarter (see Chart 2), despite the increased financing needs for fixed investment. During the next quarterly survey round, the demand for loans to NFCs is expected to remain almost unchanged, although a slight increase in the demand for loans to small and medium sized enterprises is expected.
The ratio of rejected applications for loans to NFCs remained unchanged during the third quarter of 2019 against the previous quarter (see Chart 3).
Loans to households
In the third quarter of 2019, the credit standards as well as the terms and conditions for loans to households remained almost unchanged compared with the second quarter of 2019 (see Chart 1), in line with expectations expressed in the previous quarterly survey round. The demand for loans to households increased compared with the second quarter of 2019, both for housing and consumer loans, mainly due to increased consumer confidence, improved housing market prospects and a rise in the financing needs for expenditures for consumer durable goods (see Chart 2).
Banks expect that credit standards for loans to households will remain unchanged during the fourth quarter of 2019, while the demand for loans to households is expected to somewhat increase.
The ratio of rejected applications for loans to households remained basically unchanged during the third quarter of 2019 (see Chart 3) compared with the previous one.
Chart 1 - Credit Standards (Average)
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Chart 2 - Demand (Average)
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Chart 3 - Share of rejected applications (Average)
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(1) For more information on the Bank Lending Survey, see
https://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/statistics/monetary-and-banking-statistics/bank-lending-survey
(2) Information regarding the BLS methodology is available at:
https://www.bankofgreece.gr/RelatedDocuments/Methodology_BankLendingSurvey.pdf