1QCY14: Mortgage-to-GDP ratio declines
Data shows dip accompanied by fall in gross outstanding housing finance by all banks, DFIs.
KARACHI:
The mortgage-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio decreased to 0.5% at the end of the first quarter of the current calendar year, down 16 basis points from the mortgage-to-GDP ratio of 0.6% recorded at the end of March 31, 2013.
According to the latest data on housing finance released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the decline in the economy’s mortgage-to-GDP ratio was accompanied by a dip in the gross outstanding housing finance by all banks and development finance institutions (DFIs). It amounted to Rs51.6 billion compared to Rs52.6 billion a year ago, reflecting a decrease of 1.9% (Rs1 billion) over a 12-month period. Except Islamic banks, the overall banking sector reduced its footprint in the housing segment by and large, SBP data shows.
Outstanding loans of House Building Finance Company (HBFC), which is the only specialised housing bank operating in the country, decreased to Rs12.2 billion at the end of March, down by 2.6% from the corresponding figure at the end of the first quarter of 2013. HBFC has piled up a huge amount of non-performing loans (NPLs) in recent years. More than Rs6.5 billion out of HBFC’s total outstanding loans of Rs12.2 billion were categorised as NPLs. In other words, HBFC’s NPLs equal as much as 53% of its total outstanding loans.
With the total NPLs in the housing finance segment amounting to Rs16.2 billion at the end of March, HBFC’s share clocked up at more than 40%.
Admittedly, HBFC’s NPLs have come down in absolute terms in recent months, as they decreased 12.1% over the last one year. Yet its NPLs as a percentage of the company’s outstanding loans were the highest after those of foreign banks on March 31. Overall, NPLs of the country’s housing finance segment reduced 11.7% to Rs16.2 billion at the end of March from Rs18.3 billion a year ago. NPLs of all banks and DFIs, excluding HBFC, decreased 11.4% over the last 12 months to Rs9.7 billion.
There was a marked decrease in the number of borrowers between March 2013 and March 2014. From 82,346 at the end of the first quarter of 2013, it decreased to 75,627, which translates into a decline of 8.1%. More than 59% of all borrowers of housing finance in Pakistan are classified as non-performing.
SBP data reveals 43,117 of non-active borrowers of HBFC, classified as non-performing, account for 75.6% of its total borrowers. Therefore, by excluding HBFC, the share of non-performing borrowers among all housing finance borrowers in Pakistan comes down to only 14%.
The SBP said fresh disbursements of Rs2.3 billion were made to 658 borrowers during the quarter ending March 31. Islamic banks extended new disbursements worth Rs1.3 billion followed by private banks (Rs514 million) and public-sector banks (Rs68 million). HBFC’s fresh disbursements for the first quarter of 2014 amounted to Rs463 million.
The average loan size for disbursements made during January-March was Rs4.5 million for all banks, excluding HBFC, whose average loan size clocked up at Rs2.2 million.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2014.
The mortgage-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio decreased to 0.5% at the end of the first quarter of the current calendar year, down 16 basis points from the mortgage-to-GDP ratio of 0.6% recorded at the end of March 31, 2013.
According to the latest data on housing finance released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the decline in the economy’s mortgage-to-GDP ratio was accompanied by a dip in the gross outstanding housing finance by all banks and development finance institutions (DFIs). It amounted to Rs51.6 billion compared to Rs52.6 billion a year ago, reflecting a decrease of 1.9% (Rs1 billion) over a 12-month period. Except Islamic banks, the overall banking sector reduced its footprint in the housing segment by and large, SBP data shows.
Outstanding loans of House Building Finance Company (HBFC), which is the only specialised housing bank operating in the country, decreased to Rs12.2 billion at the end of March, down by 2.6% from the corresponding figure at the end of the first quarter of 2013. HBFC has piled up a huge amount of non-performing loans (NPLs) in recent years. More than Rs6.5 billion out of HBFC’s total outstanding loans of Rs12.2 billion were categorised as NPLs. In other words, HBFC’s NPLs equal as much as 53% of its total outstanding loans.
With the total NPLs in the housing finance segment amounting to Rs16.2 billion at the end of March, HBFC’s share clocked up at more than 40%.
Admittedly, HBFC’s NPLs have come down in absolute terms in recent months, as they decreased 12.1% over the last one year. Yet its NPLs as a percentage of the company’s outstanding loans were the highest after those of foreign banks on March 31. Overall, NPLs of the country’s housing finance segment reduced 11.7% to Rs16.2 billion at the end of March from Rs18.3 billion a year ago. NPLs of all banks and DFIs, excluding HBFC, decreased 11.4% over the last 12 months to Rs9.7 billion.
There was a marked decrease in the number of borrowers between March 2013 and March 2014. From 82,346 at the end of the first quarter of 2013, it decreased to 75,627, which translates into a decline of 8.1%. More than 59% of all borrowers of housing finance in Pakistan are classified as non-performing.
SBP data reveals 43,117 of non-active borrowers of HBFC, classified as non-performing, account for 75.6% of its total borrowers. Therefore, by excluding HBFC, the share of non-performing borrowers among all housing finance borrowers in Pakistan comes down to only 14%.
The SBP said fresh disbursements of Rs2.3 billion were made to 658 borrowers during the quarter ending March 31. Islamic banks extended new disbursements worth Rs1.3 billion followed by private banks (Rs514 million) and public-sector banks (Rs68 million). HBFC’s fresh disbursements for the first quarter of 2014 amounted to Rs463 million.
The average loan size for disbursements made during January-March was Rs4.5 million for all banks, excluding HBFC, whose average loan size clocked up at Rs2.2 million.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2014.