Statistics 31 March 2015 1:00 PM

Households have seized the opportunity for amortisation-free periods in housing loans

Since February 2015, credit institutions have marketed amortisation-free periods for housing loan customers, free of charge. The purpose has been to offer customers flexibility in the management of personal finances and to increase households’ consumption and savings possibilities. Households’ interest in amortisation-free periods has been strong. In February 2015, households renegotiated EUR 3.2 bn worth of housing loan agreements, compared to renegotiations averaging typically about EUR 0.2 bn per month. In addition to agreements for amortisation-free periods, renegotiated agreements also include loans for which the existing terms and conditions (e.g. the housing loan margin) are renegotiated.

For households, the use of amortisation-free periods means postponements of loan repayment. Low interest expenses motivate housing-loan customers to extend their loan repayment schedules. The actual interest rate on new housing loan agreements has declined by 0.6 percentage point from a year earlier, to 1.4% at the end of February. The actual interest rate consists of a reference rate plus the bank’s margin. The average housing loan margin calculated by the Bank of Finland has also narrowed from a year earlier, to 1.37% in February.


Loans

In February 2015, new drawdowns of housing loans amounted to EUR 1.2 bn. The average interest rate on new housing-loan drawdowns was 1.60%, slightly less than in January. At the end of February, the stock of euro-denominated housing loans totalled EUR 89.9 bn, and the annual growth rate of the stock was 1.9%. At end-February, household credit comprised EUR 13.5 bn in consumer credit and EUR 15.6 bn in other loans.

New drawdowns of loans to non-financial corporations (excl. overdrafts and credit card credit) amounted in February to EUR 1.6 bn, which was EUR 0.3 bn less than in February 2014. The average interest rate on new corporate-loan drawdowns increased further in February, to 2.57%. At end-February, the stock of euro-denominated loans to non-financial corporations was EUR 69.5 bn, of which loans to housing corporations accounted for EUR 21.5 bn.


Deposits

At the end of February, the stock of household deposits totalled EUR 80.9 bn and the average interest rate on the deposits was 0.36%. Overnight deposits accounted for EUR 55.7 bn and deposits with agreed maturity for EUR 12.0 bn of the total deposit stock. In February, households cocluded EUR 0.7 bn of new agreements on deposits with agreed maturity. The average interest rate on these was 1.07%.

Notes: 
MFIs comprise all monetary financial institutions operating in Finland. 
Loans and deposits comprise all euro-denominated loans and deposits vis-à-vis the euro area as a whole, with countries other than Finland accounting for a very small share of total volumes.

Key figures of Finnish MFIs' loans and deposits, preliminary data

  December, EUR million January, EUR million February, EUR million February, 12-month change1, % Average interest rate, %
Loans to households2, stock 118,807 118,859 118,933 1,9 1,87
    - of which housing loans 89,762 89,772 89,845 1,9 1,41
Loans to non-financial corporations2, stock  68,373 68,842 69,489 6,9 1,82
Deposits by households2, stock 80,812 81,249 80,901 -0,4 0,36
Households' new drawdowns of housing loans 1,199 0,981 1,197 1,60

1 Rate of change has been calculated from monthly differences in levels adjusted for classification and other revaluation changes. 
2 Households also include non-profit institutions serving households.
3 N
on-financial corporations also include housing corporations.

For further information, please contact:
Johanna Honkanen, tel. +358 10 831 2992, email: johanna.honkanen(at)bof.fi,
Anne Turkkila, tel. +358 10 831 2175, email: anne.turkkila(at)bof.fi.

The next news release will be published at 1 pm on 30 April 2015.
Related statistical data and graphs are also available on the Bank of Finland website:
http://www.suomenpankki.fi/link/2331b6266da3492f832ec75e0f654bd9.aspx?epslanguage=en.

You can also subscribe to the monthly Loans, deposits and interest rates –newsletter to your email from the Bank of Finland website