The Bundesbank’s Bank Lending Survey has found that for the third successive time, there was a strong decline in demand for loans to households for house purchase. BLS respondents in the first quarter of 2023 said this was mainly due to increased interest rates, sentiment in the housing market and reduced consumer confidence.

The German banks tightened their credit standards for loans to enterprises, loans to households for house purchase as well as consumer credit and other lending in the fourth quarter of 2022. Credit terms and conditions were also made more restrictive in all three loan categories.

German banks adopted stricter credit standards for loans to enterprises in the third quarter of 2022.  For the second time in a row, credit standards for loans to households for house purchase have been made more restrictive than at any point in time since the introduction of the BLS. Credit standards for consumer credit and other lending were also made considerably more restrictive.

German banks tightened their credit standards for loans to enterprises marginally in the second quarter 2022. In the case of loans to households for house purchase, the tightening of credit standards was stronger than at any other time since the introduction of the BLS. Credit standards for consumer credit and other lending were also tightened.

German banks tightened their credit standards for loans to enterprises marginally in the first quarter 2022. The banks also applied stricter standards for loans to households for house purchase. Meanwhile, credit standards for consumer credit and other lending remained unchanged.

The German banks left their credit standards for loans to enterprises and for consumer credit and other lending to households unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2021. Credit standards for loans to households for house purchase were marginally tightened.

German banks tightened their credit standards somewhat for loans to enterprises and loans to households for house purchase in the third quarter of 2021. At the same time, credit standards for consumer credit and other lending were eased marginally. These are the results of a quarterly survey of German banks on their lending activities. According to the survey, loan demand increased in all the surveyed loan categories, but fell significantly short of banks’ expectations in the previous quarter for loans to enterprises and consumer credit and other lending.