“The private lending growth was relatively low in 2016. In 2017, we are ready for granting loans. There’s plenty of liquidity in the system. The level of internal saving is high. Given the macroeconomic growth, we see a higher aggregated demand from companies. As for population, we see an increase in mortgage lending and a decrease in consumer lending,” said Sergiu Oprescu, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Romanian Banking Association (ARB).
According to bankers, government-guaranteed mortgage lending First Home program was the growth engine for mortgage lending, to the detriment of standard mortgage loans.
The Romanian banking system maintained its financial stability last autumn and has perspectives and liquidity to finance the population and companies. Last year, the non-performing loan ratio fell 2.3-fold versus the peak registered in 2014, reaching 9.9%.