BRATISLAVA, August 23, (WEBNOVINY) — Over the first half of this year, banking houses in Slovakia extended new loans for almost EUR 2.5 billion to households. „Despite the fact that this represents a very respectable volume, it lagged 11 percent behind the first six months of last year,“ said analyst with Postova Banka Eva Sadovska. She attributes this development to new housing loans. These achieved EUR 1.7 billion, down 11 percent y/y. Conversely, consumer loans posted growth when banks provided EUR 0.6 billion to inhabitants in form of new consumer loans, representing an 8-percent rise.
Slovaks still borrow superabundantly, opines the analyst. However they do not always take a loan only to turn a dream into reality concerning housing or consumer goods. „Many take a new loan only when they need to refinance an older already existing loan,” explained Sadovska. At the end of H1 2012 an economically active Slovak owed to a bank EUR 6,252 on average. “A year ago the calculation was EUR 5,843,” said Sadovska.
An improving trend can not be overlooked in the case of defaulted loans. While a year ago their share was 4.6 percent at the end of the first half of this year it was 0.4 percentage points lower standing at 4.2 percent.
On cumulative basis, loans to households amounted to EUR 16.9 billion in late June of this year, up 8.4 percent from June 2011.
SITA