Bank Lending Survey in Spain: October 2019

In 2019 Q3, according to the Bank Lending Survey, loan supply in Spain remained generally stable, with only credit standards for consumer credit to households tightening slightly, and terms and conditions on new loans for house purchase easing somewhat. By contrast, in the euro area, credit standards mostly eased while the overall terms and conditions tightened. In Spain, loan demand across all categories is estimated to have decreased, while demand from the two household segments appears to have increased in the euro area. Conditions of access to wholesale and retail funding markets remained stable or improved in nearly all cases during the quarter, both in Spain and in the euro area. In the last six months, the ECB’s expanded asset purchase programme continued to have a positive effect on banks’ liquidity and financing conditions, although the impact on banks’ profitability in the euro area appears to have been negative. This programme also continued to contribute to an easing of the terms and conditions of loans, and to an increase in the volume of lending, in nearly all segments. Lastly, the ECB’s negative deposit facility rate is estimated to have contributed, in the last six months, to the drop in the net interest income of Spanish and euro area banks, and to the lower interest rates applied to new loans. In the euro area, the negative interest rates also favoured a reduction in margins and an increase in lending volumes.