Consumer loans totalled 7bn euros in 2007

Real estate credits registered a twofold increase, to 9.4 billion RON (2.6 billion euros) – the most dynamic segment of financing granted to the population. The bulk of loans were, however, personal loans. According to data from the NBR (National Bank of Romania), the volume of consumer credits rose by almost 25 billion RON last year, i.e. by 80%, to 56.1 billion RON (equivalent to 15.5 billion euros) in total. This means consumer credits accounted for 79% of overall loans contracted by the population. Their share saw a slight decline over the course of last year, although on mature markets financing for real estate investments remain prevalent. The volume of mortgage loans increased 86% last year, and reached a volume of 6.3 billion RON (1.74 billion euros). However, the higher growth rates registered by real estate and mortgage loans are also connected to a much lower comparison base. In absolute terms, the increase of consumer funding, by 25 billion RON (7 billion euros), was three times higher than the cumulated value of real estate loans.