Market share of banks in individual housing loans up: NHB report

The market share of banks in individual housing loans has gone up from 62 per cent in 2017-18 to 67 per cent in 2019-20, while that of housing finance companies (HFCs) has come down from 38 per cent to 33 per cent. According to the National Housing Bank’s latest Trend and Progress of Housing in India report, the pace of growth of banks remained higher than that of HFCs, partly supported by portfolio buyouts, leading to increase in their market share in individual loans. In 2018-19, the market share of banks and HFCs in individual housing loans (IHLs) was at 64 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. The overall growth in IHLs of banks and HFCs combined stood at 10 per cent in 2019-20 compared to 16 per cent in 2018-19. The report said: “The real estate and Housing Finance Sector in India began to witness a moderation in growth after the IL&FS crisis in September 2018. However, with proactive measures and various other initiatives of the Government, RBI and NHB, the sector started to gain momentum.” The total outstanding IHLs of HFCs and banks combined was around ₹20-lakh crore as at the end of March 2019-20 compared to around ₹18-lakh crore in 2018-19. Outstanding IHLs of Banks and HFCs registered year-on-year growth of 8.5 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, NHB said. Slab-wise analysis Slab-wise analysis of total IHLs of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) and HFCs combined shows that around 44 per cent of the total IHL as on March 31, 2020 (against 47 per cent as on March 31, 2019) was towards 124 lakh housing units (119 lakh as on March 31, 2019) within IHL slab of ₹25 lakh. Fifty six per cent of the total IHL (53 per cent as on March 31, 2019) was towards 30 lakh housing units in the IHL slab of over ₹25 lakh, the report said. Referring to growth in the number of housing units financed within IHL slab of ₹25 lakh, NBH observed that affordable housing continues to grow on account of robust demand and various support measures towards this segment. Source: Business Line