Statistics 30 June 2016 1:00 PM

Significance of loan margins increased in pricing of housing loans

Drawdowns of housing loans picked up further in May 2016 as households drew down new housing loans totalling EUR 1.8 bn. The average interest rate on new housing loans was 1.21% with the margin accounting for 1.19%. Hence, the reference rate only accounts for a minor proportion of the total interest rate, but the statistics show that the choice of reference rate may have an impact on the margin on a housing loan.

Up until 2012–2013, the choice of reference rate had very little impact on the margin on a housing loan, and the development of housing loan margins was broadly uniform regardless of the reference rate. As the overall level of interest rates has decreased further since 2014, the significance of the margin has increased significantly, and variation has begun to emerge.

In May 2016, the margin on housing loans linked to the 1-year Euribor was 0.06 percentage points higher than the margin on housing loans linked to the 6-month Euribor, and 0.16 percentage points higher in comparison with housing loans linked to the 3-month Euribor. However, housing loans linked to the shortest reference rates are granted in limited volumes, and therefore only a small proportion of customers can benefit from their lower margins. Similarly, there are few loans linked to prime rates. This reflects partly their unfavourable interest rate structure: in addition to the higher reference rate in comparison with the Euribor rates, they are on average also subject to higher margins.

Loans

At the end of May, the stock of euro-denominated housing loans totalled EUR 92.7 bn and the annual growth rate of the housing loan stock was 2.6%. At end-May, household credit comprised EUR 14.2 bn in consumer credit and EUR 16.1 bn in other loans.

New drawdowns of loans to non-financial corporations (excl. overdrafts and credit card credit) amounted to EUR 1.7 bn in May. The average interest rate on new corporate-loan drawdowns rose from April, to 1.84%. At the end of May, the stock of euro-denominated loans to non-financial corporations was EUR 73.7 bn, of which loans to housing corporations accounted for EUR 24.2 bn.

Deposits

At end-May, the stock of household deposits totalled EUR 83.2 bn, and the average interest rate on the deposits was 0.24%. Overnight deposits accounted for EUR 58.5 bn and deposits with agreed maturity for EUR 10.3 bn of the total deposit stock. In May, households concluded EUR 0.5 bn of new agreements on deposits with agreed maturity, at an average interest rate of 0.62%

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

  March, EUR million April, EUR million May, EUR million May, 12-month change1, % Average interest rate, %
Loans to households2, stock 122,319 122,718 123,009 2,8 1,63
    - of which housing loans 92,162 92,471 92,707 2,6 1,15
Loans to non-financial corporations2, stock  73,281 73,551 73,665 4,3 1,55
Deposits by households2, stock 81,933 83,664 83,241 1,3 0,24
Households' new drawdowns of housing loans 1,402 1,608 1,748 1,21

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; non-financial corporations also include housing corporations.

For further information, please contact:
Johanna Honkanen, tel. +358 10 831 2992, email: johanna.honkanen(at)bof.fi,
Olli Tuomikoski, tel. +358 10 831 2146, email: olli.tuomikoski(at)bof.fi

The next news release will be published at 1 pm on 29 July 2016.

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