Statistics 31 October 2019 1:00 PM

Large differences in credit institutions’ interest rates on unsecured consumer credit

The average interest rate on new unsecured consumer credit1 granted by credit institutions rose from August, to 6.2% in September 2019. The interest rates on unsecured consumer credit vary considerably between credit institutions. In September 2019, the interest rate spread2 between the credit institutions was historically wide, 5.3 percentage points. A growing share of new unsecured consumer credit is being granted by credit institutions specialised in offering high-interest unsecured consumer credit. In September 2019, the average interest rate on new unsecured consumer credit granted by such institutions was over 11%.

New drawdowns of unsecured consumer credit3 in September 2019 amounted to EUR 274 million, an increase of EUR 40 million on the corresponding period a year earlier. In January–September 2019, the drawdowns increased by 6% on the same period in 2018. Due to the higher volume of drawdowns, the pace of growth of the stock of unsecured consumer credit (EUR 5.8 bn) has accelerated.

At the end of June 2019, the aggregate stock of consumer credit by households was estimated at EUR 22.6 bn. Of this, consumer credit granted by credit institutions was estimated to account for 71%, compared with 80% two years earlier. An increasing share of consumer credit is being granted by companies other than credit institutions operating in Finland.

Loans

Households’ new drawdowns of housing loans in September 2019 amounted to EUR 1.7 bn, up by EUR 200 million on the corresponding period a year earlier. At the end of September 2019, the stock of euro-denominated housing loans totalled EUR 99.6 bn and the annual growth rate of the stock was 2.3%. Household credit at end-September comprised EUR 16.4 bn in consumer credit and EUR 17.6 bn in other loans. New drawdowns of loans to non-financial corporations (excl. overdrafts and credit card credit) amounted in September to EUR 1.6 bn. The average interest rate on new corporate-loan drawdowns declined from August, to 2.36%. At the end of September, the stock of euro-denominated loans to non-financial corporations was EUR 89.6 bn, of which loans to housing corporations accounted for EUR 34.2 bn.

Deposits

The stock of deposits by Finnish households at the end of September totalled EUR 94.2 bn and the average interest rate on the deposits was 0.11%. Overnight deposits accounted for EUR 81.3 bn and deposits with agreed maturity for EUR 4.8 bn of the deposit stock. In September, households concluded EUR 0.2 bn of new agreements on deposits with agreed maturity, at an average interest rate of 0.27%.

1Excl. overdrafts and credit card credit.
2Covers 90% of monetary financial institutions in the 5th–95th percentile range.
3Excl. overdrafts and credit card credit.

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

  July, EUR million August, EUR million September, EUR million September, 12-month change1, % Average interest rate, %
Loans to households2, stock 132,662 133,285 133,616 2,5 1,45
    - of which housing loans 99,038 99,399 99,631 2,3 0,92
Loans to non-financial corporations2, stock 88,286 88,891 89,591 6,9 1,35
Deposits by households2, stock 97,390 98,370 98,561 7,7 0,11
Households' new drawdowns of housing loans 1,681 1,653 1,714   0,72

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:

Markus Aaltonen, tel. +358 9 183 2395, email: markus.aaltonen(at)bof.fi
Olli Tuomikoski, tel. +358 9 183 2146, email: olli.tuomikoski(at)bof.fi.

The next news release will be published at 1 pm on 2 December 2019.

Related statistical data and graphs are also available on the Bank of Finland website: https://www.suomenpankki.fi/en/Statistics/mfi-balance-sheet/.